Babbage pt2 Flashcards
How did work on the Analytic Engine come out of some of the challenges experienced while developing the Difference Engine?
Since the law was in favour of Samuel Clemet and Clements owned the tools to make it and the design of the difference engine Babbage the difference engine was halted. Babbage was forced to rethink up another design which was the Analytic Engine.
What was the purpose of the Analytic Engine and when was it designed?
Difficult to determine exact purpose of the machine (calculating numbers?)
designed ~1830- 1871
What is the significance of the Analytic Engine?
**Speed/advanced technology
– Although slow by today’s standards the Analytic Engine was far in advance of it’s time.
– Addition time, Analytic Engine: (3 seconds, 1 second with later version, ~1830- 1871)
– Addition time, Harvard Mark I: 0.3 second ~World War II (1939 – 1945)
**it included the concept of a stored program
• Instructions for the Analytic Engine were to be stored on a series of punched cards.
What was Ada Lovelace’s relationship with Babbage and the work on the Analytic Engine?
She was a friend of Babbage’s who produced an english translation for his writings on the inner workings of the analytic engine, She also conceived of using the Analytic Engine for purposes other than just calculating numbers. (abstract symbols as general instructions)
Who was the person who designed/developed a version of the Analytic Engine?
Percy Ludgate in 1908
– The unit was controlled by instructions on paper tape.
– Control could also occur from instructions entered on a special keyboard.
– It could store 192 variables that were 20 digits long..
Like Babbage’s machine it was entirely mechanical however the mechanism was powered by an electric motor.
