Description :

Ada Lovelace is widely celebrated as "the first programmer”, the “enchantress of numbers” whose unique “poetical science” enabled her to make startling predictions about modern computing in a famous 1843 paper about Charles Babbage’s proposed analytical engine.

In this talk, Professor Ursula Martin (CBE FRSE, University of Oxford) will separate fact from myth, talk about what the famous paper actually says, and look at Lovelace as a member of a dynamic community of nineteenth century British scientists.

In particular, she will high-light recent work on Lovelace’s mathematical "correspondence course” with Augustus De Morgan, which shows a sophisticated mathematical education and understanding, enabling her to write the paper and pursue many other mathematical and scientific interests.

Time: 6:30pm

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This event is part of our October 2017 festival 'Computing History: Where did all the Women Go?  For the full line-up of events, see our hub page here.

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