Title :
The construction of Charles Babbage´s Difference Engine No. 2
Abstract :
Charles Babbage designed Difference Engine No. 2 between 1846 and 1848. Contemporary drawings illustrate a machine - never built during his lifetime - that calculates and tabulates polynomials, printing results in hard copy and producing stereotype molds for plates intended for use in conventional printing presses. This article describes construction of the first complete physical realization of a full Babbage engine design and outlines Babbage´s ambitions for this advanced engine.
Keywords :
computers; history; Charles Babbage Difference Engine; contemporary drawings; conventional printing presses; history; stereotype molds; Cams; Difference engines; Finite difference methods; Gears; Polynomials; Printing machinery; Shafts; Timing; Turning; Wheels; Charles Babbage; Difference Engine No. 2; Difference Engines; Mechanical computers; Nineteenth century computing; computing engines; prehistory of computing; reconstructions;
Journal_Title :
Annals of the History of Computing, IEEE
DOI :
10.1109/MAHC.2005.45
