Predecessors Foundations Of Modern Technology Nationals Save 4

Predecessors

The Binary Number System


       The binary number system, developed in 1679 by Gottfried Leibniz, is a system of on and off values represented by 1s and 0s. Programmers used the Unityper, made in the 1950s, to put these values onto strips of magnetic tape which were then fed into a computer. However, the binary system is exceedingly difficult to comprehend, causing programming with it to be exceedingly complex. For example, trying to fix one small line of code would take hours to fix.

Gottfried Lebiniz. Image Courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica.

Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine. Image Courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica

Charles Babbage


       Charles Babbage was a mathematician that lived in the early 1800s. He is recognized for attempting to build a fully automatic mechanical calculator. He combined previously existing computer theories and made them into his own idea for an “analytical engine.” His concepts were the basis of all modern technology to come.

Ada Lovelace


       Ada Lovelace was a revolutionary mathematician from the nineteenth century. She worked alongside Charles Babbage to assist with the development of programming, but only with the mechanical gears available during that time. Ada Lovelace is known as the first person to program without using computer technology, instead using a system of shifting gears.

Ada Lovelace. Image Courtesy of Biography.