rowing Jacquard’s idea, both Charles Babbage and Herman Hollerith (see below) would
use such cards on their own computing machines. The company that Hollerith formed
eventually became International Business Machines (IBM), a company that for 30 years
promoted and benefited from mechanical punched card processing.What was the difference engine?
Because of its automatic sequential approach, the difference engine is thought of by
most mathematical historians to be the precursor to modern computers. Johann H.
Müller, an engineer in the Hessian army, first developed the concept in 1786. His idea
was to have a special machine that would evaluate and print mathematical tables by
adding sequentially the difference between certain polynomial values. But he could
not get the funds to build the machine.Müller’s idea was soon lost before it was resurrected in 1822, when Charles Bab-
bage obtained government funds to build a programmable, steam-powered prototype
of Müller’s device (for more information about Babbage, see below). Because of techni-
cal limitations, funding cuts, and Babbage’s interest in a more advanced device of his
own design, Müller’s difference engine was only partially completed. Eventually,
Swedish inventors George Scheutz (1785–1873) and his son Edvard (1821–1881)
would in 1853 build the difference engine, the first calculator with the ability to print.Who was Charles Babbage?
354 English inventor and mathematician Charles Babbage (1792–1871) is considered by
What did Blaise Pascal invent that eventually
caused his interest in math to wane?F
rench mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) devised the
Pascaline in 1642, when he was only 18 years old; he had it built by 1643.
This device was possibly the first mechanical adding machine used for a practical
purpose. He built it with his father (a tax collector) in mind to help him with the
tedious task of adding and subtracting large sequences of numbers.But the device was not very helpful for a variety of reasons, especially since
it used base 10 and did not match up with divisions of the French currency.
Other reasons for its rejection are familiar to every century: The device was
much too expensive and unreliable, along with being too difficult to use and
manufacture. Eventually, Pascal’s interest in science and mathematics waned. In
1655 he entered a Jansensist convent, studying philosophy until his death.