Journal article
The early mathematical education of Ada Lovelace
- Abstract:
- Ada, Countess of Lovelace, is remembered for a paper published in 1843, which translated and considerably extended an article about the unbuilt Analytical Engine, a general-purpose computer designed by the mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage. Her substantial appendices, nearly twice the length of the original work, contain an account of the principles of the machine, along with a table often described as ‘the first computer program’. In this paper we look at Lovelace's education before 1840, which encompassed older traditions of practical geometry; newer textbooks influenced by continental approaches; wide reading; and a fascination with machinery. We also challenge judgements by Dorothy Stein and by Doron Swade of Lovelace's mathematical knowledge and skills before 1840, which have impacted later scholarly and popular discourse.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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(Preview, Version of record, pdf, 435.0KB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1080/17498430.2017.1325297
Authors
+ Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
More from this funder
- Funding agency for:
- Hollings, C
- Funding agency for:
- Martin, U
- Grant:
- EP/K040251
- Grant:
- EP/K040251
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Journal:
- BSHM Bulletin More from this journal
- Volume:
- 32
- Issue:
- 3
- Pages:
- 221-234
- Publication date:
- 2017-06-01
- Acceptance date:
- 2017-04-27
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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1749-8341
- ISSN:
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1749-8430
- Pubs id:
-
pubs:691553
- UUID:
-
uuid:727585d0-0269-4d45-9b38-c129500afde3
- Local pid:
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pubs:691553
- Source identifiers:
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691553
- Deposit date:
-
2017-04-28
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Hollings et al
- Copyright date:
- 2017
- Notes:
- Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.
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