Babbage's Calculating Engines: Being a Collection of Papers Relating to them; their History and Construction (Cambridge Library Collection - Mathematics)

The famous and prolific nineteenth-century mathematician, engineer and inventor Charles Babbage (1791–1871) was an early pioneer of computing. He planned several calculating machines, but none was built in his lifetime. On his death his youngest son, Henry P. Babbage, was charged with the task of completing an unfinished volume of papers on the machines, which was finally published in 1889 and is reissued here. The papers, by a variety of authors, were collected from journals including The Philosophical Magazine, The Edinburgh Review and Scientific Memoirs. They relate to the construction and potential application of Charles Babbage's calculating engines, notably the Difference Engine and the more complex Analytical Engine, which was to be programmed using punched cards. The book also includes correspondence with members of scientific societies, as well as proceedings, catalogues and drawings. Included is a complete catalogue of the drawings of the Analytical Engine. Cover Frontmatter PREFACE Contents 1 - Statement of the circumstances attending the invention and construction of Mr. Babbage's Calculating Engines. From the "Philosophical Magazine," September, 1843, p. 235 2 - Article xxix., from Scientific Memoirs, vol. iii., p. 666 3 - Babbage's Calculating Engine. From the "Edinburgh Review," July, 1834, No. cxx. 4 - Excerpt from "Passages from the Life of a Philosopher":--- Chapter V. Difference-Engine No. 1. Chapter VI. Statement relative to ditto Chapter VII. Difference-Engine No. 2. Chapter VIII. Of the Analytical-Engine Chapter IX. Of Mechanical Notation Chapter X. The Exhibition of 1862 5 - Note on the Application of Machinery to the Computation of Astronomical and Mathematical Tables 6 - A letter to Sir Humphry Davy, Bart., President of the Royal Society, from Charles Babbage, Esq., M.A., F.R.S., on the Application of Machinery to the Calculating and Printing Mathematical Tables 7 - On the Theoretical Principles of the Machinery for Calculating Tables 8 - Observations on the Application of Machinery to the Computation of Mathematical Tables 9 - Address of Henry Thomas Colebrooke, Esq., F.R.S., President of the Astronomical Society of London, on presenting the Gold Medal to Charles Babbage, Esq., F.R.S. 10 - On Mr. Babbage's new machine, for Calculating and Printing Mathematical Tables 11 - Minutes of the Council of the Royal Society, relating to the Report of the Committee on Mr. Babbage's Calculating Machine 12 - Report of the Committee appointed by the Council of the Royal Society to consider the subject referred to in Mr. Stewart's Letter relative to Mr. Babbage's Calculating Engine, and to Report thereon 13 - On a method of Expressing by Signs, the Action of Machinery 14 - Laws of Mechanical Notation 15 - Mechanical Notation, exemplified on the Swedish Calculating Machine 16 - Scheutz's Difference Engine, and Babbage's Mechanical Notation 17 - Sur la Machine Suédoise, de Messrs. Scheutz, pour calculer les Tables Mathématiques, par M. Charles Babbage. Extrait des Comptes-rendus des Séances de l'Academie des Sciences 18 - Observations addressed at the last Anniversary to the President and Fellows of the Royal Society, after the delivery of the Medals 19 - Letter of General Menabrea, to the Editor of Cosmos 20 - Report of a Committee appointed by the Council of the Royal Society to examine the Calculating-Engine of M. Scheutz 21 - Institution of Civil Engineers. Messrs. Scheutz's Calculating Machine was exhibited in the Library 22 - Institution of Civil Engineers. A volume of Logarithms calculated and stereo-moulded 23 - Analytical-Engine.---Catalogue of 386 Notations 24 - Classed Catalogue of the Notations of the Analytical-Engine 25 - Catalogue of the Drawings of the Analytical-Engine 26 - List of other Drawings of the Analytical-Engine 27 - List of Scribbling Books 28 - Part of Chapter XIX. Economy of Machinery and Manufactures 29 - Excerpt from the Ninth Bridgewater Treatise Part of Chapter II Part of Chapter VIII Part of Chapter XIII Chapter XV 30 - Excerpt from the Exposition of 1851 Part of Chapter XII Chapter XIII Appendix: Chapter XI. of Weld's History of the Royal Society Professor De Morgan's Review of ditto 31 - Proceedings of the British Association, 1878 32 - Proceedings of the British Association, 1888 33 - Conclusion LIST OF MR. BABBAGE'S PRINTED PAPERS