History of Computers - Analytical Engine
Page created by Lacey Rybarczyk
The idea of the Analytical Engine was created in 1837 by Charles Babbage. The Analytical Engine was a mechanical digital computer showed the large
Overview
The idea of the Analytical Engine was created in 1837 by Charles Babbage. Although Charles Babbage invented the idea of the Analytical Engine, ultimately he was unable to execute his idea before his death in 1871 because of insufficient funds and materials. The Analytical Engine was anticipated to be one of the first mechanical and digital computer's that would pave the way for future technology and computers. Before Babbage began trying to invent the Analytical Engine he built the Difference Engine. The Difference Engine was an automatic, mechanical calculator, who's purpose was to make a chart of polynomial functions.[2] The Difference Engine ultimately was not completed successfully, yet the failure of the engine caused Babbage to come up with the idea of the Analytical Engine. The Analytical Engine was different from the Difference Engine because it was an automatic general purpose machine. Therefore it could be manipulated and programmed by the user to follow a series of instructions in any required order.[3] The Analytical Engine could calculate both logarithmic and trigonometric functions that could be approximated by polynomials, so a difference engine can compute many useful sets of numbers.[4] The mathematic functions proved to be the most useful and successful within the Analytical machine were multiplication and repeated addition Since addition proved to be so effective multiplication worked just as well because it was just more than one addition being made simultaneously. Therefore the Analytical Engine was able to execute many versions and difficulty levels of addition. Ultimately the idea of the Analytical Engine was a general mathematical machine that was able to complete math equations consisting mostly of addition and multiplication. [5]
Significance
The idea of the Analytical Engine came about due to need for a general automatic machine that was able to complete mathematical equations without variables. The Analytical Engine proved to be a key device that paved the way for future computers. It was suppose to be one of the first digital and mechanical computer's which helped inspire todays technology. Without Charles Babbage's failed attempt to create the Difference Equations engine he would have never invented the idea of the Analytical Engine. His failure with the Difference Equations Engine caused him to realize that there was more of a need and demand for a machine that was able to complete general equations. The Analytical Engine ultimately allowed people to build of his idea and machine to invent the ideas of todays computers and other technology.
References
- ↑ [1] Picture of an Analytical Engine
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Difference_engine
- ↑ http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/onlinestuff/stories/babbage.aspx?page=4
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Difference_engine
- ↑ http://www.fourmilab.ch/babbage/baas.html
External Links
http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Babbage.html
