Hi folk, thought this exercise would drum up some good banter amongst the visitors of CR4.
Who, from the past or present, world of science ( in a as broad as necessary interpretation) would you like to meet and why?
I would like to point out we all like to talk to Albert for all sorts of reasons, all perfectly valid and correct, but I was hoping to keep this thread reserved for the less likely of nominees and would urge people to come up with unsung heroes or forgotten contributors of science.
I will start and would like to meet Augusta Ada Byron.
The reason is that this lady contributed to the development of the analytical engine in a way that would probably have stalled the entire process if she were prevented from having done so.
She wrote the very first computer program 150 years before computers were invented. The analytical engine was, undoubtedly, the worlds first attempt to automate repetitive tasks even if it did not fully work. Ada's work however was largely unrecognised until later,100 years after her death in 1852, she got the recognition for her work and the world came to know this truly intelligent and imaginative lady for the scientist she was. the first computer programming language, ADA, was named after her in recognition of her work. She was a true visionary especially when you realise that woman were not supposed to engage in these pursuits which were solely reserved for men. Her background and highly influential contacts made it possible for her to break the mould.
One question I would have liked to have asked her is what she thought this machine would have done for the industrial revolution and its pace? Given that the revolution already completely changed the way we lived, what would a computer have done for the people living then and how does she think this could have affected our progress. This has always been an interest of mine anyway as some people argue the Victorians must have had help in some form or another as the sheer bulk of the calculation needed for some of the inventions were simply too much for the time frame in which they were performed. I am not clever enough to argue either way but it just stuck in my mind ever since.
Unsung Heroes of Science: Who Would You Want to Meet?
Re: Unsung heroes of science. Who would you want to meet?
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