It is important to understand genesis of computers and digital growth so as to appreciate those who contributed to discipline development and transformation. Augusta Ada Byron born two centuries ago (1815-1852) is considered the pioneer of computer science. Ada managed to get into book of history as the first programmer and despite social challenges, she managed to be an icon in the field. She transcribed the world's first algorithm for a computing machine from French to English, adding key calculations and notes ( Stanley, 2016 ). However, the machine algorithm existed only in writing. Nevertheless, Ada Lovelace was a computing visionary who believed that computer machines performance was not limited to mere calculations. Notably, she wrote the first published computer program in the 1840s. Of course, such an opportunity was denied to women at her time still Lovelace is recognized as a brilliant mathematician.
As a teenager, Ada Byron met Charles Babbage a professor of mathematics in Cambridge, Ada enjoyed this accorded opportunity as she was an aristocrat, something other girls could never do at her time. Charles Baddage position as a Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, was recently held by professor Hawking Stephen and once occupied by Issac Newton. The professor had successfully invented a Difference Engine. Essentially, the engine was a mechanically designed computer that produced error-free mathematical tables automatically ( Misa, 2016 ). Despite the invention, Charles Baddage never actualized building the computer machine due to financial difficulty and personal setbacks. Baddage observed that both Ada and Lady Byron (Lovelace mother) were knowledgeable in science and mathematics and invited them to see the small version of the Difference Engine. The visit sparks great interest in Ada, she was captivated by the concept and messaged Baddage requesting copies of the calculating machine blueprint ( Stanley, 2016 ).
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At the age of 17, Ada was studying the works of Charles Baddage. The professor was very impressed by Ada, and they corresponded for a long time sharing ideas and discussing the computing algorithms of the Analytical Engine. The Analytical Engine was designed to be the first general-purpose computer. In the year 1842, professor Baddage gave a lecture on the general-purpose computer that would use punch cards for outputs and inputs. In the lecture, a mathematician Luigi Menabrea wrote the lecture in French. The mathematician needed the lecture transcribed to English and commissioned Ada to the task. At the time Lovelace was in her late twenties. The Countess added her notes, making the lecture notes three times the actual transcript. Consequently, her work was published in 1843.
According to Misa (2016), Ada Lovelace published notes stated that she was familiar with the Analytical Engine. In addition, her notes interpreted that the engine could do tasks that computers do. Ada, in her notes, proposed the data input that could be used to program the analytical engine enabling it to calculate Bernoulli numbers. This suggestion is considered the first programming of the computer two centuries later. It is noteworthy to acknowledge Lovelace vision considering her understanding and manipulation of numbers. Moreover, the Countess notes made it clear that a number manipulating machine could be used to represent any numerical data. Furthermore, she foresaw that such machines could be instrumental in producing graphs, in science and the composition of music. Inevitably, all her predictions came true.
Essinger (2014), denotes that Ada Lovelace contributions inspired Alan Turing more than 90 years later. The young genius by his rights disagreed with one of Ada’s conclusions. He suggested and believed that artificial intelligence was possible. Notably, Ada believed that computing machines could only follow instructions. However, Alan Turing believed and demonstrated that computing machines could think independently. Nonetheless, the concept that a numerical manipulating machine could be used to compose music and calculate was begun with Ada Lovelace. During the world war two, Turing and a team of codebreakers built a Colossus computer that converted German messages to numbers and comprehendible text messages ( Essinger, 2014 ). The statistical analysis by the electronic computers actualized Lovelace visionary ideas. The computers mentioned above were the first electronic computers. A century and a half after her demise, her contributions to technology and sciences has her celebrated as the mother of computer programming.
References
Essinger, J. (2014). Ada's Algorithm: How Lord Byron's daughter Ada Lovelace launched the digital age . Melville House.
Misa, T. J. (2016). Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, and the Bernoulli numbers. In Ada's Legacy: Cultures of Computing from the Victorian to the Digital Age (pp. 11-31). Association for Computing Machinery.
Stanley, D. (2016). Ada Lovelace, the poet of science: The first computer programmer . Simon and Schuster.
