Lovelace Lecture Series

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (10 December 1815 - 27 November 1852)

Ada was an English mathematician, a writer, and is often regarded as the first computer programmer. Chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine, her notes on the engine include what is recognised as the first algorithm intended to be carried out by a machine.

Biography of Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace was the only child of the poet George Lord Byron and his wife Anne Isabella Milbanke.

Her educational and social exploits brought her into contact with scientists such as Andrew Crosse, Sir David Brewster, Charles Wheatstone, Michael Faraday and the author Charles Dickens, in which she used to further her education. Ada described her approach as 'poetical science' and herself as an 'Analyst & Metaphysician'.

As a teenager, her mathematical talents led her to an ongoing working relationship and friendship with fellow British mathematician Charles Babbage, also known as 'the father of computers', and in particular, Babbage's work on the Analytical Engine.

Between 1842 and 1843, Ada translated an article by Italian military engineer Luigi Menabrea on the engine, which she supplemented with an elaborate set of notes, simply called Notes. These notes contain what many consider to be the first computer program.

She also developed a vision of the capability of computers to go beyond mere calculating or number-crunching. Her mind-set of 'poetical science' led her to ask questions about the Analytical Engine examining how individuals and society relate to technology as a collaborative tool.