Babbage, Charles (1791–1871) British Computation

Born on December 26, 1791, in London, England,

Charles Babbage is best remembered for his work on

the design and manufacture of a mechanical calculator,

the forerunner of a computer. After first constructing a

“difference machine,” Babbage devoted the remainder

of his life to the construction of a superior “analytic

engine” capable of performing all mathematical opera-

tions. His work toward this goal laid the foundations

of computer design used today. Partly due to lack of

funding, however, the machine was never completed.

Babbage entered Trinity College, Cambridge, in

1810. While a student, he and a fellow undergraduate

coauthored Differential and Integral Calculus, an influ-

ential memoir on the history of calculus. After transfer-

ring to Peterhouse College, Babbage received his

bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1814 to then begin

a career in mathematical research. Babbage published a

number of influential papers on the topic of functional

equations and was honored with election to the R

OYAL

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OCIETY

in 1816. In 1827 he became the Lucasian Pro-

fessor of Mathematics at Cambridge.

Much of Babbage’s theoretical work relied on

consulting tables of logarithms and trigonometric

functions. Aware of the inaccuracy of human calcula-

tion, Babbage became interested in the problem of

using a mechanical device to perform complex com-

putations. In 1819 he began work on a small “differ-

ence engine,” which he completed three years later.

He announced his invention to the scientific commu-

nity in an 1822 paper, “Note on the Application of

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Charles Babbage, an eminent mathematician of the 19th century,

is best known for his design and manufacture of a mechanical

computer. (Photo courtesy of the Science Museum, London/

Topham-HIP/The Image Works)