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Ada Lovelace Research Paper

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Ada Lovelace: The “Enchantress of Numbers” In a world that is currently dominated by computers, it’s hard to imagine what it was like before they were invented. Though computers only began having a major influence in the last 60 years, the idea for them was first conceived almost 200 years ago. This technology would not have been possible without the work of Ada Lovelace, who is considered one of the pioneers in the field of computer programming. She had a vision of the possible benefits and capabilities of a computing machine. Even though she would never see her vision become a reality, her legacy and work had a lasting impact on the future of technology. However, during her lifetime she experienced multiple setbacks in pursuing her education …show more content…

She was lucky to be born into a rich family, because at the time only the wealthy could afford tutors. However, even Ada’s mother became displeased with how Ada’s behavior deviated from what was considered normal and expected of women at the time. She began giving Ada a daily dose of laudanum as a cure for “her beautiful, outspoken daughter's nonconforming behavior” (Rheingold). Ada would eventually become addicted to laudanum as a result of her mother’s actions and it would plague her for the rest of her life. Ada Lovelace’s early childhood demonstrates how society viewed the education of women. Girls could be allowed to learn in order to prevent them from gaining frivolous and dangerous ideas, but their knowledge must be limited and controlled. They were still expected to behave in demure manner, which Ada would continue to fight against into her …show more content…

He was now focusing on designing an “Analytic Engine”, which would be a machine that could perform calculations without user input. Ada immediately grasped the potential significance of such a machine and impressed Babbage with her ideas on the concept of a calculating engine. Her friend, Sophia Frend, later wrote, “Miss Byron, young as she was, understood its working, and saw the great beauty of the invention” (Toole 51). Ada requested that Babbage send her the blueprints for the machine so that she could further understand it. This was the beginning of a long intellectual relationship between the two and they would continue to correspond and collaborate for the next nine years. However, her mother disagreed with Babbage’s metaphysical views on mathematics and “preferred that Ada be grounded in what she considered the facts” (Toole 52). Despite this, Ada continued to meet and write with Baggage. She would go against her mother’s wishes by deciding to “not destroy her imagination but use it in her own way” (Toole 53). Ada’s work no longer focused on studying what had already been learned, but instead imagined new

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