! ! ! ! ! Ada Lovelace

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! Ada Lovelace lived during the 19th century, and was famously known as one of the first computer programmers. She was a brilliant mathematician and highly educated woman of England. During her short 36 years of life, she excelled in all

areas of education, with excellence in the area of mathematics. She was known as a great contributor to computer programming. This was amazing, considering it was 100 years before computers were invented. ! Ada Lovelace was born on December 10, 1815 to Lord George Gordon Byron, a romantic poet, and Anne Isabelle Milbanke Byron. George Gordon Byron (Lord Byron), was a well known and troubled poet. Some of his work is “The Giaour,” “The Bride of Abydos” and “The Corsair.” His mother was a schizophrenic and as a young child his father abandoned him, this probably explained his mental instability. When he was 10 years old he inherited his great-uncles title and became Lord Byron. Through the years he had many love affairs one with his half sister Augusta but in 1814 he was engaged to Anna Isabella Milbanke (Lady Anna Isabella Milbanke Byron), they were married in 1815. Ada’s father was a troubled man and treated his wife horribly, because the marriage of her parents only lasted one month after Ada was born. Ada’s mother took her away from her father, and didn’t want her to associate with him. Lord Byron allowed this to happen, and gave up all his legal rights, which was unusual in this day and age. At that time, the men had all rights to the children after a divorce. Lord Byron had no interaction with his daughter, and died when she was nine years old.

! Lady Byron, moved her daughter to an elite London society, therefore, she was surrounded by highly educated people, and received every educational opportunity. Her mother did not want her to pursue any knowledge in the area of poetry, due to her fathers influence and his mental imbalance. Therefore, she surrounded Ada with education in the area of music, mathematics and science. She grew up in a community of “men”. During the early nineteenth century, women were rare in the highly educated community of math, and sciences. I learned in my research, that at that time, there were no “professional” scientist, and the word “scientist” began to be used in 1836. ! Ada was stricken with illness many times during her childhood, and during that time, sick children spent many hours in bed. However, she continued to receive her education. She loved her studies and thrived as a student. To also help prevent Ada from forming her dads moody temperament, Ada was forced to lie still for extended amount of time, to develop self-control. Being sick in bed did not stop her pursuit of knowledge. She felt education was her purpose in life. Her mother chose only the best educators and tutors for her daughter. They were devoted and focused on Ada’s strict education. Some of her educators included: William Frend, a social reformer; William King, the family’s doctor; and Mary Somerville, a Scottish astronomer and mathematician who was one of the first women to be admitted into the Royal Astronomical Society. She learned to speak several languages fluently, and excelled in mathematics. At the age of 13, she designed a flying machine. All of this would lead to Ada’s legacy as one of the first computer programmers. ! As a young adult Ada became well liked and viewed as highly intelligent in the aristocratic social circle. When she was 17 she met Charles Babbage, a scientist, mathematician and inventor. He became known as the father of the computer. Babbage became a life long friend and a mentor to Ada. She would eventually collaborate with him. Through Babbage, she would continue to meet other highly educated individuals, such as, professor of

advanced mathematics, Augustus de Morgan, with University of London. ! In 1835, Ada married William King-Noel, who was 10 years older then her. At the age of 33 William King-Noel became the 1st Earl of Lovelace. Ada then took on the title Countess of Lovelace, and the name of what she is most known as Ada Lovelace. Even though William King-Noel and his wife Ada held the title of Earl and Countess of Lovelace, Lady Byron maintained dominant authority over family matters. The two had a strong marriage during Ada’s short life. They had three children.

! Throughout her life, Ada remained in touch and continued to collaborate with Babbage. One of Babbage’s inventions was called the Difference Engine. He then invented the Analytical Engine. These were engines meant to perform complex, mathematical calculations, known as the first computers. Ada was able to look at the Difference

Engine before it was completed. She was asked by Babbage to translate and article written in Italian, about the Analytical Engine, by Luigi Menabrea. She not only translated the article, she studied the complex mathematical structure of the machine, and showed her amazing knowledge and intelligence. She added to the article three times the amount of her own notes, ideas and corrections. ! In her article, Ada “described how codes could be created for the device to handle letters and symbols along with numbers. She also theorized a method for the engine to repeat a series of instructions, a process known as looping that computer programs use today”, (Ada Lovelace-Biography.com).

This work was published in 1843 in an English science journal. This became her famous contribution to computer programming. Although, many have questioned her ideas, because it was originally Babbage’s article, he was known to be arrogant, and would not usually let others take any credit for his work. Lovelace was given credit for her work with his Analytical Engine. Babbage called her the “Enchantress of Numbers”. Her contribution and corrections were highly respected and appreciated. ! Ada Lovelace was an inspiring woman. She inspired women in technology, math and science. She had vision and knowledge of technology before their time. She had a passion for education and science, that helped to shape our future, and the future of the computer. There is even an “Ada Lovelace Day” in honor of women in technology. She made a difference in a time when women were held back from math, science and technology. I believe, her mother was a catalyst for this as well. She encouraged and lead her daughter in the area of education and pursuing knowledge. To be a leader in the evolution of the computer is an amazing accomplishment. !

Citation Page"Ada Lovelace." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/ada-lovelace-20825323>."Milbanke, Anna Isabella (1792-1860)." Milbanke, Anna Isabella (1792-1860). Web. 06 Apr. 2016. <http://androom.home.xs4all.nl/biography/p006574.htm>."Lord Byron." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/lord-byron-21124525>."Ada Lovelace Day." Ada Lovelace Day. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. <http://findingada.com/about/who-was-ada/>."Charles Babbage (Dec. 1791 �������������������������������� ¡¢£¤¥¦§¨©ª«¬­®¯°±²³´µ¶·¸¹º»¼½¾¿ÀÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏÐÑÒÓÔÕÖ×ØÙÚÛÜÝÞßàáâãäåæçèéêëìíîïðñòóôõö÷øùúûüýþÿ Oct. 1871)." Charles Babbage Biography,

Computer Models and Inventions. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. <http://charlesbabbage.net/>.Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_science>."Ada Lovelace: Founder of Scientific Computing." Ada Lovelace: Founder of Scientific Computing. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. <https://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/lovelace.html>."Ada Lovelace." - The Life and Legend of the Enchantress of Numbers. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. <http://www.adaslegend.com/ada-lovelace.html>.