AUGUSTA ADA KING, COUNTESS OF LOVELACE
(1815-1852)
Even though the Analytical Engine was never constructed, a demonstration program for it was written. The author of that program has the honor of being the world's first computer programmer. Her name was Augusta Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace.
She was the daughter of the 6th Lord Byron (the famous poet) and Annabella Byron, who legally separated two months after her birth. Her father then left Britain forever and his daughter never knew him personally.
Ada was a liberated woman at a time when this was not fashionable. In addition to her interest in foreign languages and music, she was also an excellent mathematician. The latter was very unusual for a young lady in the 19th century. (She was also fond of horseracing, which was even more unusual.) Ada's mathematical abilities became apparent when she was only 15. She studied mathematics with one of the most well known mathematicians of her time, Augustus de Morgan.
In 1833, she met the British mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage. At that time, he was working on the Difference Engine, a mechanical device designed to solve complicated mathematical problems. She became interested in Babbage's inventions.
In 1842, Lady Lovelace discovered a paper on the Analytical Engine that had been written in French by an Italian engineer. She translated the paper into English. At Babbage's suggestion, she added her own notes, which turned out to be twice as long as the paper itself. Much of what we know today about the Analytical Engine comes from Lady Lovelace's notes.
To demonstrate how the Analytical Engine would work, Lady Lovelace included in her notes a program for calculating a certain series of numbers that is of interest to mathematicians. This was the world's first computer program. "We may say more aptly", Lady Lovelace wrote, "that the Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves." Most aptly said indeed!
The United States Department of Defense honored Ada Byron's achievements in the computer field in 1979, naming its high-level programming language, ADA, after her.
Ex. 26. Render the following sentences into English. (TIP: The translation of some sentences can be found in the texts given above.)
1. Калькуляторы, сделанные Паскалем и Лейбницем, были ненадёжны, так как технология того времени была не в состоянии производить детали c необходимой точностью.
2. Компьютер, полностью современный по концепции, был задуман в 30-х годах IX века.
3. Бэббидж был плодотворным изобретателем. Его разработки включают такие устройства, как офтальмоскоп, отмычки, спидометр, «скотосбрасыватель» и др. Несмотря на свою эксцентричность, он был гением.
4. Одной из причин, по которой Бэббидж забросил свою разностную машину, была гораздо лучшая идея, пришедшая ему в голову. Вдохновленный жаккардовым станком, управляемым перфокартами, Бэббидж захотел сделать перфокарточное счётное устройство.
5. Именно благодаря аналитической машине, которую он никогда не завершил, Бэббидж имеет честь называться «создателем компьютера».
6. Автор демонстрационной программы для аналитической машины Ада Ловлис стала первым в мире компьютерным программистом. Переводя по предложению Бэббиджа статью об аналитической машине, написанную итальянским инженером по-французски, она добавим собственные замечания, которые оказались в два раза длиннее самой статьи.
7. Аналитическая машина создаёт алгебраические узоры точно так же, как станок Жаккарда ткет цветы и листья. Действительно удачно сказано!