Get to know Charles Babbage, the inventor of the world’s first computer – Jakarta, –It turns out that sophisticated computer devices have quite a long history, you know. In the past, computers were giant and only certain people could use them. Now, computers can be taken anywhere and used by anyone, including children.
Behind it all, there are great scientists who have made a big contribution to inventing the first computer . It is Charles Babbage who is called the inventor of the first computer. Who is he?
Computer Inventor Charles Babbage
You may already be familiar with the name Charles Babbage, a mathematician from England who was instrumental in inventing computers in the 19th century.
Quoting the book 200 Super Genius Inventors & Pioneers of the World , Babbage came up with the idea of ​​machines that could be programmed. In that era, computers were known as digital calculating machines. In addition, the machine was also the first automatic calculator.
Babbage’s love of mathematics was motivated by his father who was a bank employee. Babbage was interested in his father’s calculating activities.
The man who was born in Souhtwark, London, on December 26 1791 always got high marks in mathematics.
In 1811, Babbage attended Trinity College and got a perfect score in Mathematics, surpassing his friends. After graduating, Babbage was known as a talented young mathematician at the age of 20 at that time.
Then in 1816, Babbage was elected as a member of the Royal Society, an organization for British independent scientific and academic scientists. He was also one of the influential people in the founding of the Astronomical Society in 1820.
Then in 1821, Babbage began creating his digital calculating machine and named it the Difference Engine. For two years, he worked to perfect his calculating machine.
The inventor of the computer attempted to make his calculating machine function in various types of arithmetic operations. He also named his new machine Analytical Engine, which was a general symbol manipulation machine and had characteristics that were later adopted by modern computers.
Even so, public interest in Babbage’s discoveries is still far from expectations. But Babbage did not give up. He collaborated with Ada Lovelace in 1843 to perfect the Analytical Engine.
Babbage’s prestige also rose but not completely for his creations. The reason is that what was needed to maximize this giant machine was not yet available in that era.
The British government considered that society did not need Babbage’s machine. It was decided to postpone the funding provided to him temporarily in 1932 and stop completely in 1842.
The decision disappointed Babbage. The funding that was stopped meant that the computer he created had only been implemented at the initial design and form level, far from the form he wanted. The framework of the machine he created is still stored neatly in the London Science Museum, England, to this day.
In 1991, using Babbage’s original plans, a machine was developed that could function perfectly. Babbage’s ideas about computers were not wishful thinking. The man died on October 18 1871 in London.
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