Ada, the Enchantress of Numbers: Prophet of the Computer Age

by Betty Alexandra Toole

Book by Toole, Betty A., Toole, Betty Alexandra

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science, Biography, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computers

323 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1992

Reviews

[Bettie]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06bglnh

Description: In part two of this dramatization of The Letters of Ada Lovelace, Georgina Ferry reveals the nature of the relationship between the young heiress, Ada Lovelace (Sally Hawkins) and the crusty mathematician, Charles Babbage (Anthony Head), inventor of steam-powered calculating machines.

Despite, (or perhaps because of), constant battles with her mental and physical health, Ada pursued her interest in Babbage's innovative engines, with zeal. She threw herself into the task of describing his Analytical Engine and writing the Notes of the engine for which she is now famous. In an extraordinary leap of imagination, she suggested that this steam-powered engine could be used for much more than just adding and subtracting - 'for music and art perhaps'. And grasped just how many problems - and not only mathematical ones - might one day be solved by rigorous, logical analysis.

All her life Ada struggled to escape her controlling mother, Lady Byron (Olivia Williams) and the legacy of her notorious and absent father, the romantic poet Lord Byron. Babbage gave her the attention and intellectual respect that neither of her parents offered. She defied convention and produced a work of astonishing prescience, predicting how steam-powered calculating machines might one day change the world. She was a flawed and fragile individual: a Victorian tech visionary.

[Mansoor]

لیدی ایدا لاولیس، دختر لرد بایرن، امروز شهرتی همسنگ پدرش دارد. مجموعه‌ی متنوعی از کتاب‌ها، فیلم‌ها و اسباب‌بازی‌ها حول شخصیت او ساخته شده‌اند و حتی اسم یکی از زبان‌های برنامه‌نویسی از نام او گرفته شده. در فرهنگ دانشمندان بریتانیایی قرن نوزدهم مدخلی چهار صفحه‌ای به او اختصاص داده‌اند که کم و بیش هم‌حجم مدخل کارل پیرسن، بنیادگذار دانش آمار، است

این منابع ایدا را "ریاضیدان" نامیده‌اند. با وجود این، شواهد نشان نمی‌دهند که او به نتایج بدیعی در ریاضیات دست یافته باشد. هیچ مقاله‌ی منتشرشده‌ای در این زمینه از او به جا نمانده. در دست‌نوشته‌هایش هم هیچ‌چیز بدیع و تازه‌ای به چشم نمی‌خورد. پس آوازه‌ی بلند او از کجا می‌آید؟

بی‌شک ایدا دوست داشت خودش را ریاضیدان بداند. نامه‌هایش نشان می‌دهند که او خود را وارث نبوغ پدرش قلمداد می‌کرد. ایدا پیش چند تنی از ریاضیدانان درس خوانده بود. بعدها، زندگی‌نامه‌نویسان او، که کم‌ترین تخصصی در ریاضیات نداشتند، با خواندن نامه‌های رد و بدل‌شده میان ایدا و معلمانش خیال برشان داشت که این نامه‌ها حاوی نکات عمیق و بینش‌های بزرگ ریاضیاتی است. حال آن‌که نامه‌ها درست عکس این را نشان می‌دهند: ایدا حتی بعد از سال‌ها آموختن ریاضی مسائل ساده و ابتدایی را به‌سختی حل می‌کرد

بخش اعظم اسطوره‌ی ایدا مبتنی است بر رابطه‌اش با چارلز ببج، پدر کامپیوتر مدرن. این افسانه هم که ایدا نخستین برنامه‌نویس کامپیوتر بوده از همین‌جا ناشی می‌شود. ببج در دهه‌ی 1820 ماشین‌حسابی مکانیکی اختراع کرد که قادر به انجام دقیق عملیات عددی بود. او بعدتر یک ماشین محاسباتی هم طراحی کرد که روی کاغذ تمام کارکردهای کامپیوتر مدرن را داشت، ولی از اجزای فلزی ساخته می‌شد، نه الکترونیکی

ببج ایده‌های خود در مورد برنامه‌نویسی این ماشین را با لوییجی منابریا، مهندس ایتالیایی، در میان گذاشت و توانست حمایت او را جلب کند. در سال 1842، منابریا آن ایده‌ها را در مقاله‌ای به زبان فرانسه در سوییس منتشر کرد. مدتی بعد، ببج، که ایدا را از سال‌ها پیش می‌شناخت، از او شنید که مشغول کار روی ترجمه‌ی مقاله‌ی منابریا به انگلیسی است

از آن‌جا که ماشین محاسباتی ببج اصلا برای اجرای برنامه‌های محاسباتی طراحی شده بود، اولین برنامه‌نویس آن خود ببج بود. منابریا سازوکار برنامه‌نویسی را با جزئیات بیشتری بیان کرد و ایدا از نوشته‌ی منابریا نسخه‌ای انگلیسی به دست داد. ایدا نه در طراحی ماشین محاسباتی نقشی داشت و نه در برنامه‌نویسی‌اش

ببج برای تبلیغ ماشین محاسباتی‌اش و متقاعدکردن دیگران نیاز به همکاری افراد صاحب مکنت و شهرت داشت. البته شهرت ایدا در مقام دختر لرد بایرن مفید بود، اما کافی نبود. پس ببج ایدا را به جایگاه یک "ریاضیدان" برکشید تا از حمایت او بهره‌برداری کند

پیداست که در زمانه‌ی هویت‌زده‌ی ما افسانه‌ی ایدا چه بازار خوبی می‌تواند داشته باشد: زنی که اولین برنامه‌نویس کامپیوتر بود و لابد مردان عصرش هم هرچه می‌توانستند کردند تا بر نبوغ او سرپوش بگذارند، ولی سرانجام درخشش ذهن توانای او تمام حصارها را درنوردید و خود را به ما رساند

[Megan]

Although the author does a good job of putting in some narration before each set of letters, it was really hard for me to get used to the fact that she only provided letters Ada wrote, and none of the reply mail. It was like listening to one side of a telephone conversation...somewhat frustrating as I kept anticipating a reply to come right after each letter! Of course, I understand why the replies are not included as the book is already quite long. I was also very intrigued by Ada's "Mathematical scrapbook" - it's such a shame that it was not preserved. It would have been great to see such a detailed insight into her thought processes. In general I would have liked to have seen more focus on the notes she did for Babbage's Analytical Machine and maybe less about her mundane day-to-day expenses, visitors, etc...although I suppose that was part of her life as well. Overall a great compilation and commentary on such an extraordinary lady.

[So Hakim]

Mixed bag of result. On one hand we have the letters of "the (often said as) first lady programmer in the world". Which is illuminating, even if dimly. about her time and place in Victorian England.

On the other hand the collection wasn't neatly curated. I often found myself unsure what prompted certain letters, or why she is feeling good/bad/happy/sad/etc. Perhaps a little bit more context could help readers not familiar with the topic.

I myself read this after a biography of Babbage, and fairly acquainted with history of computing, so I had little bit of help. It's good to read direct sources once in a while -- unfortunately there are too many holes to make it satisfying.

[Heather Diane Grey]

If Ms. Lovelace had been as proficient in her technical work as she was in her ability to boast, I'm sure she would have been 50 years ahead of her time.

She was a relentless egotist and insufferable bore, whose dubious claim to history was secured by her ride on the coattails of an actual scientist.

[Laura]

From BBC Radio 4:
Georgina Ferry presents part one of the correspondence of Ada Lovelace, dramatised by an all-star cast; and reveals the intense inner world of a young Victorian lady who anticipated our digital age.

Ada Lovelace (Sally Hawkins) was the abandoned daughter of the romantic poet Lord Byron. Concerned that Ada might inherit her father's feckless and 'dangerous' poetic tendencies, her single mother Lady Byron (Olivia Williams) made sure she was tutored thoroughly in mathematics, and regularly prescribed 'more maths' to improve her mental health. When she came out in London society, Ada met the man who would change her life, but not in the way most debutantes would have imagined. The distinguished mathematician, Charles Babbage (Anthony Head) became her life-long friend and mentor: Ada was fascinated by his steam-powered calculating machines. Supported by her husband William (George Watkins), she defied society's expectations, studying mathematics with extraordinary passion and determination when she was married with three small children; and later suggesting boldly to Babbage that he might like to work with her on his innovative thinking machines.

Episode 2: Thinking Machines
In part two of this dramatization of The Letters of Ada Lovelace, Georgina Ferry reveals the nature of the relationship between the young heiress, Ada Lovelace (Sally Hawkins) and the crusty mathematician, Charles Babbage (Anthony Head), inventor of steam-powered calculating machines.

Despite, (or perhaps because of), constant battles with her mental and physical health, Ada pursued her interest in Babbage's innovative engines, with zeal. She threw herself into the task of describing his Analytical Engine and writing the Notes of the engine for which she is now famous. In an extraordinary leap of imagination, she suggested that this steam-powered engine could be used for much more than just adding and subtracting - 'for music and art perhaps'. And grasped just how many problems - and not only mathematical ones - might one day be solved by rigorous, logical analysis.

All her life Ada struggled to escape her controlling mother, Lady Byron (Olivia Williams) and the legacy of her notorious and absent father, the romantic poet Lord Byron. Babbage gave her the attention and intellectual respect that neither of her parents offered. She defied convention and produced a work of astonishing prescience, predicting how steam-powered calculating machines might one day change the world. She was a flawed and fragile individual: a Victorian tech visionary.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b069jjmg

[Kim]

Disappointing. The author seems determined to portray a certain image of Ada throughout, often by deriding her mother and adulating Lord Byron to the point of discrediting without proof most aspects of Byron's unbalanced, selfish behavior. Even though this is supposed to be a book about Ada! I've read many books about the Byrons so this highly slanted read on the family was obvious and kind of insulting to readers.

The one-sided aspect of only citing letters from Ada, with no responses from anyone, is annoying and self-serving as other reviews have noted. Many letters portray a woman who is completely obsessed with the idea of her own genius (at times to the point of seeming delusional). But the author seems to include them as proof Ada's genius, making me doubt the author's ability to maintain an objective point of view.

The best parts involved Ada's writing of Babbage's notes and her thoughts on what she read or observed in the mathematical or scientific worlds, where she seemed prescient about many topics, not just the possibility of computers.

Every reference to the U.S. Department of Defense's ADA programming language could have been removed. It felt like an ad for ADA at times and did not underscore the importance of Ada's insight anymore than general references to modern computing would have.

[Muffin Pam]

Wow. This was a boring book. It was literally a "Selection of Letters," like, hundreds of them. Some that are interesting, most that are not, a few that make no sense, and all that are rambling. I guess I should have paid more attention to the title of the book. I wanted a biography of Ada Lovelace and this was the first available book at the library. Ada appears to be an enigma - to me she still kind of is since letters do not tell the whole story like an actual story of someone's life does.

The author is either lazy or tenacious - depending on how hard it was to get these letters and put them in some kind of order when half of them make no sense.

Needless to say - this gal is getting another biography to read of the lovely, yet ineloquent Lady Lovelace.

[Caitlyn Colon]

There are parts of this I really like. I like reading Ada’s letters to her fellow mathematicians. And I like reading excerpts of her notes to Babbage’s work. These are the best parts of this book which focuses a bit too much on despairing of Lady Byron, and Lord Byron.

It uses Ada’s letter speaking of her own “genius” and desire to be a genius as for why she is a genius and not enough on what actually made her a genius. Which wasn’t necessarily her mathematical skills but rather her technological comprehension skills.

I feel like the author should have focused more on what Ada was bringing to science, what made her really interesting, was her imagination and her capability of understanding babbage’s technology to the point where she saw the potential of his work that he could not even fathom.

[Ryan]

There is interesting commentary by Dr. Toole about Lovelace's thoughts and feelings, and she provides some context to the letters. The author clearly adores her subject, but I wonder if letting Lovelace speak for herself a bit more might have been the better tactic here.

[Tom Baikin-O'hayon]

nice biography, I think it was a bit lacking in technical information, but I'm not sure if I could understand it

[JADL]

Reading for a project at work. Biography of Ada Lovelace, primarily told through her letters to Charles Babbage and others.

[Jana]

I always find it amazing to see how many letters remain from some people from the past.

[Yota]

Story of Lord Byron’s daughter Augusta Ada Byron

[Gabriel H.]

I found the letters themselves very compelling, but the author was frustratingly protective of her subject--by turns defensive and reticient, neither of which are great traits for a biographer. Also, I would have appreciated more in the way of responses to her letters, where possible, though I realize that would significantly increase the scope and difficulty of the project.

[Jill]

At first I thought this was a biography and was disappointed - the language is a bit disjointed, and events are often listed in a jarring manner without good transitions. After a while I started seeing it as mostly a collection of transcripts of many of Ada Lovelace’s letters with some context and explanation, and it does a pretty good job of that. Sources are given and so it also provides a starting point for further research’s I haven’t found a better biography, which is honestly rather surprising.

[Lise]

An interesting but rather unsatisfying biography of Ada Lovelace. It is convincing in that it establishes very credibly that she did, in fact, write the notes on Babbage's Analytical Engine (the amount of pain involved in the editing and printing make it pretty clear that this was no 'lend your name' sort of thing), but other than that it's all dribs and drabs. Most of the letters are fragments, although some of that is because only partial letters remain, it's pretty clear that much of it is editorial choice. It's very hard to get a handle on someone when you only have their half of multiple correspondences...

Honestly, I would have liked it better if it included the notes themselves.

[Tzippy]

This book is a mix of biography and a collection of letters written by Ada Lovelace over the course of her life. As it turns out, I really don't enjoy reading other people's correspondence. You only get the letters she wrote, not the ones written to her, which means that at least a third of the content of this book suffered from lack of context. I liked the biography parts of the book much better, but as a biography, this book is pretty lacking.

From a historical point of view (not that I know much about 19th-century English history), it was kind of cool to see some cameos from some of Ada's famous contemporaries, like Charles Dickens and the Duke of Wellington.

[Sandi]

I got a copy of this book about 10 years ago at a booksellers convention that a friend got me into. It looks like I started to read it, but didn't finish. I'm going to have to finish it someday. Ada was the only legitimate child of Lord Byron and a brilliant woman. She worked with Charles Babbage on his Difference Engine and there is a computer language used by the Department of Defense named after her. She was definitely ahead of her time.

[Sarah]

The letters from Ada to Charles Babbage were by far the most interesting. I could have done without the bizarre banter between Ada and her husband, and her and her mother. Referring to each other as different bird names? I guess epistolary protocol has changed quite a bit since then, and it seems mostly for the better.

[Linda Barr]

Much if the book consists of letters Ada Lovelace wrote, and that gives a good picture of what she was like. The narrative is interesting but leaves a lot of questions. Still, this is an interesting look at a woman who was clearly 100 years ahead of her time. She foresaw the modern computer at a time when women weren't even supposed to be interested in math or science.

[Chris Ingram]

Source material referred to in Gleick's 'The Information' - pretty much what it says, the annotated correspondence of Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron and confidante of Charles Babbage.