Journal article
The Lovelace--De Morgan mathematical correspondence: A critical re-appraisal
- Abstract:
- Ada Lovelace is widely regarded as an early pioneer of computer science, due to an 1843 paper about Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, which, had it been built, would have been a general-purpose computer. However, there has been considerable disagreement among scholars as to her mathematical proficiency. This paper presents the first account by historians of mathematics of the correspondence between Lovelace and the mathematician Augustus De Morgan from 1840--41. Detailed contextual analysis allows us to present a corrected ordering of the archive material, countering previous claims of Lovelace's mathematical inadequacies, and presenting a more nuanced assessment of her abilities.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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(Preview, Version of record, pdf, 864.4KB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1016/j.hm.2017.04.001
Authors
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Journal:
- Historia Mathematica More from this journal
- Volume:
- 44
- Issue:
- 3
- Pages:
- 202-231
- Publication date:
- 2017-05-09
- Acceptance date:
- 2017-04-01
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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1090-249X
- ISSN:
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0315-0860
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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pubs:687761
- UUID:
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uuid:a3d80fa3-3162-468b-ad5b-3dc2853e5e1c
- Local pid:
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pubs:687761
- Source identifiers:
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687761
- Deposit date:
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2017-04-03
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- © 2017 Hollings, Martin, & Rice
- Copyright date:
- 2017
- Notes:
- This is an open access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- Licence:
- CC Attribution (CC BY)
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