Abstract
AT a meeting of the Newcomen Society held at the Science Museum on December 13, Dr. L. H. D. Buxton read a paper on Charles Babbage and his difference engine, during which he gave a sketch of the career of Babbage, explained the design of the famous calculating machine, and exhibited many manuscripts and an unpublished biography of Babbage compiled by Dr. Buxton's grandfather. Babbage was born in Teignmouth on December 26, 1792, and died in London on October 18, 1871. He was educated privately and went to Cambridge in 1811. He joined Herschel and Peacock in forming the Analytical Society, graduated in 1814, and in 1816 was admitted a fellow of the Royal Society. He assisted in founding the Royal Astronomical Society and the Statistical Society, and from 1828 until 1839 was Lucasian professor at Cambridge. Possessing ample means, Babbage was able to follow his own inclinations, and among these was to construct a machine for calculating mathematical tables. This led him to the construction first of a difference engine, secondly to the construction of an analytical engine, and then of another difference engine. The relics of his machines, none of them ever finished, are in the Science Museum; his first difference engine was used by Dr. Buxton to explain Babbage's methods. Altogether Babbage spent some £6,000 of his own and some £17,000 allotted by the Government, on his first attempts, and then in 1842 the Government decided against any further expenditure. The failureof Babbage to bring to fruition his ideas was due to his constantly changing his mind, and being led off by some new scheme which promised better results, but which itself was only followed until a new idea arose.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Charles Babbage, F.R.S. Nature 132, 959 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/132959a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/132959a0