Lecture 2

MOVIE: The Paperback Computer / To Dream Tomorrow

Chapter 6: The Difference Engine

After reading this chapter, you should be able to answer the following questions:

What motivated the development of the Difference Engine?
Describe the relationship between clocks and the Difference Engine.
Discuss the number system used by Babbage; how did this decision effect the development?
Discuss the working of the Difference Engine.

Chapter 7: The Analytical Engine

After reading this chapter, you should be able to answer the following questions:

What problem with the Difference Engine pushed Charles Babbage to design the Analytical Engine?
Explain Babbage's note "Suggested Jacard's loom as a substitute for the drums."
Explain the terminology "mill" and "store".
Compare modern computers with the Analytical Engine.

Chapter 8: A question of faith and funding

After reading this chapter, you should be able to answer the following questions:

Why wasn't the Difference Engine built?
Why wasn't the Analytical Engine built?

Chapter 9: The lady who loved the Jacquard loom

After reading this chapter, you should be able to answer the following questions:

Describe Ada Lovelace's contributions to the history of computing.

Movie Discussion Questions

Describe the early contributions of Doug Englebart and Xerox PARC.
Describe the contributions of Apple Computers. Why was the Macintosh so innovative?
Discuss why we call these devices "computers." What is a computer?
What was the first "computer": Difference Engine, Analytical Engine, ENIAC, Mark I, Colussus, Zuse's machine