Charles Babbages Contribution to Development of Computer Technology Essay

Charles Babbages Contribution to Development of Computer Technology - Essay Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that  Charles Babbage, an inventor, was born in Britain at a time when science was just beginning to take shape and influence in society, with no clear definition of its varying disciplines. During that time, people were mediocre since they still dwelt on the calculus mathematical theories of Isaac Newton, and had not made any advancement in the field. This state of circumstances disappointed Charles so much, to a point that he wanted change thus beginning the era of computers. The man in question was born on 26th December 1791 in Walworth, Surrey according to Anthony Hyman. This was in London. His father was called Benjamin Baggage, who was in partnership with the Praeds, owners of the Bitton estate and Betsy Plumleigh Babbage. His mother, who was a great influence in his life, was called Betsy Plumleigh Teape. In the year 1808, his family moved to the old Rowdens house in East Teignmouth, where his father was appointe d the warden of the St. Michael church. As a child, Charles was very inquisitive and stopped at nothing until his search for the truth is found. In his book, he tells of instances when his curiosity led him to dismantle his toys when he didn’t understand their way of working. His father was a rich man thus he was accorded the best education around in the form of expensive schools and tutors. When he was eight years of age, he was relocated to a country school to recuperate from a severe fever. During his stay here, his parents stressed that he be left to complete rest for speedy recovery. The loneliness he experienced got to his head that he started to be philosophical, questioning everything that came into contact with him and the general worldview. He went as far as experimenting in devil-worship incarnations to test their credibility. Later he joined King Edward VI School in South Devon, only to succumb to deteriorating health, forcing him to be tutored at home. It was thr ough the private studies that he developed a passion for mathematics especially by the influence of Stephen Freeman, who was an ‘astronomer’. Eventually, he was able to start schooling at Trinity College in Cambridge in 1810, where he discovered a void in the system of learning at the institution. Birth of an idea He and his friends came together to form the Analytical society between the years of 1812 and 1814 so as to challenge the University’s laid-back approach to the mathematical field. It was a successful venture that saw the publication of several books on the topic of calculus. It was during this time that Charles started to battle with the idea of creating a machine to aid in the arithmetic process. According to Bowden, Charles was thinking to himself on the possibility of devising a tool that would perform logarithms with utmost precision rather than using the incorrect manuals in use at the time. He was challenged by the French’s decision to use human mathematicians to compute new tables.