Ada Lovelace: Early Computer Programmer/Mathematician, Essay Example

In contemporary world of fierce competition and continuous technological advancement computers occupy the primary niche in business, education, or entertainment. Computers have revolutionized how we organize information, our communication with each other, and even the way we reflect on the human mind. With the development of technology and implementation of new inventions we can now observe and use portable laptops and pocket computers, and get Internet access anywhere we need it. However, all this did not come out of nowhere, thus there were people who started it and gave a push to current technological advancement. Among such pioneers of computer technology we can single out a prominent mathematician and programmer Ada Lovelace, who contributed to the creation of one of the first and basic computer programs and realized the incredible potential of computers. Therefore, computers have been influencing our everyday lives over the last 60 years, but not many people know that the idea of creating such machine emerged almost 200 years ago.

Ada Byron, Lady Lovelace, appears to be one of the most striking personalities in the history of computer development. August Ada Byron was born December 10, 1815 as the daughter of prominent poet, George Gordon, Lord Byron, and his wife Anne Isabella Milbanke. She was the only child in the family. The child was named after the half-sister of Lord Byron Augusta Leigh, and Byron himself preferred to call her ‘Ada’. Even though Ada’s father was a famous poet, Lady Byron did not want her daughter to follow him, thus only five weeks after Ada was born she asked for a separation from her husband. Even though according to English Law of that time, the father was given a full custody of a child in case of separation, Lord Byron did not make any demands or request regarding this issue. “Sunday, April 21, 1816. Lord Byron signed the Deed of Separation at 3.30 pm.”(Milbanke et al., 2008) After that, Lord Byron left England and never met his daughter again, until he died in 1824. Anne Isabelle Milbanke loved numbers and mathematics in particular, thus she ensured her daughter to acquire a strong mathematical education. Moreover, she thought that if Ada got involved in mathematics, she would not be tempted to write poetry. However, Ada did not even think about relating poetry and her life, for she hoped to become an analyst and metaphysician. Since her early childhood Ada had some serious health problems, like headaches that damaged her vision at the age of eight. When she was fourteen years old she experienced a bout of measles and got paralyzed for almost a year. However, she continued her mathematical education throughout her illnesses.

It was very unusual for a woman like Isabella Milbanke provide her daughter with such sufficient mathematical and science education. Back then, women were not allowed to attend universities or join educational groups and societies, but Ada Lovelace greatly advanced in mathematics comparing to both men and women. Lady Byron employed numerous tutors for Ada to direct and ensure her successful education. However, some of them did not manage to stay for a long while. For example, one of the tutors, Ms. Lamont, who was teaching geography, noticed that Ada was very interested in her subject even prior mathematics. Consequently, Lady Byron replaced Ada’s geography lessons with arithmetic classes, in order to ensure her education flow in the right direction, which is mathematics. The mathematical education of Ada Lovelace was undertaken by private tutors, thus she was privately home-schooled in this subject. Among Ada’s tutors was William Frend, who used to be mathematics teacher of Lady Byron. However, he had grown old by that time and could not keep pace with mathematical developments. Another prominent tutor of mathematics involve in Ada’s education was Dr. William King, who preferred reading math instead of doing it. Lady Byron was keeping a constant pressure on her daughter, thus Ada was working hard and long at her home-classes. Ada was given certain punishments in case she was no complying, like lying motionless and writing apologies. Unmistakably, Lady Byron decided that science and mathematics should be accentuated in Ada’s education, believing these disciplines would offset the romanticism and lack of self-control the girl might have take over from George Gordon Byron. Apart from math and science Ada Byron was also involved in extracurricular activities, thus she was studying drawing, foreign languages, and music. Moreover, she greatly excelled in French language, which was a key element of her contribution to computer development. In 1932 Ada made friends with Mary Sommerville, a mathematician, who was the author of the book on mathematical astronomy called The Mechanism of the Heavens. Later on Mrs. Sommerville arrange for Ada to meet Lord William King, who eventually became her husband. They had three children, and after three years of them being married Lord King inherited another title of Earl of Lovelace, thus Ada was given a title of Countess of Lovelace. Lord Lovelace was also given a place in the House of Lords in Parliament, but it did not actually bring any money. It appears that for Ada Mrs. Sommerville was a role model, who encouraged her in science and math studies and made and attempt to put mathematics and technology into suitable and understandable human context.

During the London season of 1833 Ada Byron Lovelace, a future pioneer in computers development gradually entered the grown-up world. All the following remarkable events of her life were tightly connected with a person named Charles Babbage, a prominent inventor who had graduated from Cambridge University. Ada Lovelace became friends with Charles Babbage when she was 17 years old on the Queen’s Ball, enthralled with his invention – Difference Engine, a contraption that could mechanically calculate values of quadratic functions. In order to work with Babbage, Ada began studying differential equations so that, as she wrote to him, “at some future time . . . my head may be made by you subservient to some of your purposes and plans.”(Morrow & Perl, 1998) Meanwhile, Babbage had already started his work on far more complicated machine that was named the Analytical Engine. This machine received instructions and numerical data from punched cards, providing the analysis of mathematical calculations. Eventually, not only Babbage was close friend to Ada, but he also became her intellectual mentor, thus directing her to Augustus de Morgan, who at that time was a professor of mathematics at the University of London. De Morgan directed Ada’s advanced mathematical studies, which were equivalent to what men were obtaining from Cambridge University. Even though De Morgan was very impressed by Ada’s intellectual abilities, he feared that her studies could stress her female nervous system.

While Ada Lovelace was working on her advanced studies, Charles Babbage went to Turin, Italy, in order to present his new project the Analytical Engine. It happened that his assistant was Luigi Federico Manabrea, who was impressed by this new invention and decided to provide his description of it for a Swiss journal. The article was published in October 1842 on the French language. Babbage was very busy with the development and financing of his engines construction, thus he never thought about publishing any kind of descriptions in English language of his own. However, it happened that Charles Wheatstone, pioneer of the telegraph, read Manabrea’s article and asked Ada Byron to translate this article into English for the British journal Taylor’s Scientific Memoirs, for he knew about Ada’s advancements in French language. Ada looked through the original article and discovered that it had only the description of mathematical concepts of engine’s work, thus it needed something to be added. Consequently, Ada translated Menabrea’s article into English, but she decided to make some additional notes, thus expanding the contents in sufficient way and going far beyond a mere translation of the article. These notes appeared to be three times longer than the original article, thus setting down in certain terms the limitations and powers of the machine. Ada’s Sketch of the Analytical Engine Invented by Charles Babbage, Esq. appeared to be the only detailed account published in July 1843. Later on, explaining the concept of Analytical Machine, Ada said following words:

“The distinctive characteristic of the Analytical Engine, and that which has rendered it possible to endow mechanism with such extensive faculties as bid fair to make this engine the executive right hand of abstract algebra, is the introduction into it of the principle which Jacquard devised for regulating, by means of punched cards, the most complicated patterns in the fabrication of brocaded stuffs. . . . We may say most aptly that the Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves.”(Adler, 2002)

Eventually, the work was published, and Babbage, was tremendously impressed with the outcome of Ada’s translation, thus he decided to distribute the copies to all leading scientists of that time. Not only she clearly explained the work of Analytical Engine, but also provided vivid illustrations of how it could be commanded to perform particular tasks. Babbage was confused why Ada did not write and separate article on this matter, and she responded that such thought had never come into her mind. Back then, it was very unusual for any woman of rank to publish a scientific work or article. Moreover, the subject was more than ‘unfeminine’, referring to mathematical computation. Eventually, after much hesitancy she came to a decision to sign her paper as ‘A. A. L.’, thus providing only author’s initials. Many years had passed until the author’s initial identity was revealed. Ada also invented an idea of a subroutine, which is a set of instructions to be used frequently in a range of contexts. Furthermore, she estimated the process she named ‘backing’, which appeared to be equivalent to the current concept of looping, and she also provided a description of the notion of a condition jump, when the machine is learned to respond to ‘if-then’ statements. Finally, in her last note she provided a diagram which demonstrated how mechanical computation can help to derive Bernoulli numbers. Ada’s presented the detailed instructions on how to display and where to set calculations in the engine.

Consequently, this work appeared to be the summit of Ada Lovelace’s career. It was difficult to explain why she did not go on, but poor health made it difficult for her to concentrate on intellectual matters. “I am not dropping the thread of Science, Mathematics, & this may probably still be my ultimate vocation. Although it is likely perhaps to have a formidable rival to its being other than just my pastime should I take it seriously with undivided mind to musical composition.”(Morrow & Perl, 1998) In 1837, right after giving birth to their third child, Ada Byron experienced cholera. Even though she survived this illness, her health was never well again. She also suffered from digestive problems and asthma, thus she was prescribed laudanum, opium, and morphine. Historians believe she had bizarre mood swings and hallucinations from the medicine she took. By her 36^th year Ada Lovelace was diagnosed with cancer of the uterus, and she died on November 27, 1852, at the age of 37. According to her own will, she was brought to the old Newstead country, and laid next to her father whom she never had a chance to meet. In 1980 the U.S. Defense Department created the Ada Joint Program Office for the purpose of introducing the Ada language. Later on, in three years of time, the American National Standards Institute approved Ada as a national all-purpose standard. It was given the code name MIL-STD-1815, the last four digits honoring her birth year.(Gale, 2006)

In conclusion, Ada Lovelace became an important pioneer and participant in the early history of modern computer programming and mathematics. The predominant number of people considers her to be the first to express the methodology of computer programming. Ada Lovelace made so many achievements mostly because she knew how to use her gifts against immense obstacles and to demonstrate a spirit that could not be crushed. Today, she is usually referred to as the first computer programmer, and she definitely deserved this honor.

References

Adler, R. E. (2002). Science firsts: from the creation of science to the science of creation. John Wiley.

Milbanke, R. G., Milbanke, R. Wortley, M. C., & Wortley, M. S. (2008). Astarte: A fragment of truth concerning George Gordon Byron, sixth Lord Byron. University of Michigan.

Gale, T. Augusta Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace. World of Computer Science. Retrieved April 28, 2009, from http://www.bookrags.com/biography/augusta-ada-byron-king-countess-of-lovelace-wcs/

Morrow, C., & Perl, T. (1998). Notable women in mathematics: A biographical dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group.