Ada Byron, often known as Ada Lovelace or Lady Lovelace, was
a self-described analyst and mathematician. She is also considered to be the
first computer programmer.
Augusta Ada Byron was born on December 10, 1815 in
Marylebone, London.
Her father was the well-known romantic poet Lord Byron. It was her father who
called her "Ada"
as a baby. Her parents separated when Ada was
just a month old, causing her father to leave England forever.
Early Life
Growing up, Ada Byron's mother tried to discourage her from
becoming a poet like her father. Instead, she immersed Ada in mathematics, music, and science.
Despite her studies, Byron's appreciation for the poetic was always underlying
in her mathematics. It has been said that much of her understanding of
mathematics was "laced with imagination, and described in metaphors".
For much for her childhood, Byron was ill and bedridden.
Starting as young as 8 years old, she began having headaches that obscured her
vision. In 1829, Byron was paralyzed after having the measles and was bedridden
for nearly a year afterward. Throughout her illnesses, Bryon continued her
education.
In 1832, Byron's mathematical abilities began to flourish.
At age 17, she was introduced to Mary Somerville, a noted researcher and
scientific author, who encouraged Byron in her studies.
The Beginning of
Something Great
In 1834, Byron attended a dinner party at Somerville's home where she overheard Charles
Babbage's idea for a new calculating engine – known as the difference engine
and the analytical engine. Although few others seemed interested in Babbage's
pitch, Byron was touched by the "universality of his ideas".
On July 8, 1835 Byron married William King, 8th
Baron King who later became the 1st Earl of Lovelace – thus making
her ""The Right Honourable the Countess of Lovelace" or "Lady
Lovelace".
Byron, now Lovelace, continued to keep in contact with
Charles Babbage. In 1842, she agreed to translate his technical presentations
from French to English. By the time she was finished translating, the
presentation had tripled in size from the addition of her own notes and
observations.
Babbage was impressed with Lovelace's work, calling her the
"Enchantress of Numbers". She wrote to him in 1843 asking for assistance
working with Bernoulli numbers. In her request, she wrote ""I want to put
in something about Bernoulli's Numbers...as an example of how an implicit
function may be worked out by the engine, without having been worked out by
human head and hand." The result of this work was widely accepted as the
first computer program.
Legacy
Ada Lovelace died of cancer on November 27, 1852 at the age
of 36.
Even though intellectual pursuits were not encouraged of
women during her lifetime, Ada Byron remains known as a pioneer of the computer
age. She is the only woman ever to have a programming language named after her
– ADA was
created by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) in the 1970s. The DoD
military standard for the language, MIL-STD-1815, references the year of her
birth.
In 1998, the British Computer Society (BCS) awarded a metal
in the name of Ada Lovelace. In 2008, the BCS initiated an annual competition
for women studying computer science.
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace
http://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/lovelace.html
http://www.scottlan.edu/Lriddle/women/love.htm
http://www.kerryr.net/pioneers/ada.htmEdit
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