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Lauren Fox

Ms. Figueroa

World Literature - Block C

March 10, 2022

Ada’s Algorithm
By: James Essinger

This book tells the life of a not so famous woman in our history, Ada Lovelace. Augusta
Ada Lovelace was born on December 10, 1815 in England. She grew up without her father, Lord
Byron the famous poet, in her life but had her mother as a dominant figure. Lady Byron believed
that she needed to keep Ada stimulated mentally so she would not have the traits of her father.
Her parents were separated a month after her birth. Her mother left Lord Byron on
January 15, 1816. Her father left England a short time after partially due to his sizable debts to
creditors. Lord Byron would live the remainder of his life in continental Europe and Greece,
never having a relationship with Ada.
Lady Byron had an unusually broad education for a woman born in her time period.
Her mother ensured she had as complete an education as possible from her tutors. Ada was
taught mathematics, history, literature, French, Italian, Latin and Greek. Ada was kept away from
poetry and creative writing, which is why she was focused on mathematics and science at a
young age. Ada did not have an easy childhood, her mother was often away from her, and she
was left in care of her governess Ms. Stamp and her tutors. At the age of 13, Ada became
bedridden for three years, most likely due to polio.
Ada and Lady Byron were introduced to Charles Babbage by Mary Somerville who was
one of Ada’s math tutors. Babbage proved to be a prominent figure in her life. He was her muse
in a sense, the machines he created became her world. Ada had an intense mental focus for the
Analytical Engine and Difference Engine ensuring that they would be received properly in the
world. In Ada’s mind, the Analytical Engine could be what the Jacquard Loom was for the
textile industry. Meaning, more productivity and less errors made by humans,in today's world a
computer. Ada’s greatest contribution was the notes she created when translated Babbage’s
lecture notes from Menabrea’s article. Those notes took close to a year to complete and were
labeled A through G. The notes in G were the most significant, as they contained an algebraic
equation for calculating the numbers of Bernoulli, separate from the computer program. In note
G is what many people now consider the first computer program. The note contains a very
complex mathematical explanation the Analytical Engine would perform tasks.
Lady Byron desired Ada to marry an aristocrat with a long title, so when Ada met
William Lord King she couldn't be happier. They were introduced to each other in the spring of
1835 and married in July of 1835. The couple had three children within 4 years; Ada later
described her husband as an “aimless man.”
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Augusta Ada Lovelace died of cancer at the age of 36 (the same age her father died).
Ada’s final request was to be buried alongside her father. Ada Lovelace was a woman in history
who has been overlooked and forgotten. She helped create what would become a computer.
Without Ada, the digital age would not exist. She created what we all know today. Ada is an
amazing women model for girls today to encourage women to get into the STEM field.
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1. What is Ada Lovelace’s occupation? What is she known for?

Ada Lovelace studied mathematics, yet she did not have a formal occupation as was
normal for women in the 1800s. She was married to William King-Noel, the Earl of Lovelace,
and became Lady Lovelace (“ Ada Lovelace” par 13).
Ada Lovelace is known for being the first computer programmer. She was a
mathematician, writer and also translated the French version of Charles Babbage's lecture. Ada
wrote extensive notes on his Analytical Machine, which was the idea of the first general use
computer. “...These notes were published just using her initials A.A.L.” (Essinger 192).
In her notes of Babbage’s lecture, the note G was the most significant element. In G, she
had expressed the algorithm for the “…analytical engine using Bernoulli numbers” (“ Ada
Lovelace” par 24).
Ada worked on concepts involving the analytical engine and dreamed of the different
capabilities of this engine, such as how to make it practical for society. (“ Ada Lovelace” par 5).

2. What are Ada Lovelace’s cultural origins? (where was she born and family ancestry)

Augustina Ada Lovelace was born on Sunday, December 10,1815 in London, England.
She was the only legitimate daughter of the famous poet Lord Byron (“ Ada Lovelace” par 1-2).
“...Lord Byron and Ada's mother, Annabelle Milbanke, were married the morning of January 2,
1815,” (Essinger 28).
“Annabelle Milbanke …was the daughter of a wealthy family that lived in the heart of
the small town Seaham on the coast of England. Annabelle was born in 1792, she was highly
educated for a woman of her time. Annabelle had taken a strong liking to math and she spoke
multiple languages. Annabelle was three years younger than her husband Lord Byron” (Essinger
21). Lady and Lord Byron had a disastrous marriage. “...Lady Byron left her husband, Lord
Byron, with Ada who was only one month old and went to her parents' home,” (Essinger 31).
Lord Byron thought that she would return to their home but she never did, they even exchanged
letters after Annabelle had left the house . One of his most famous poems, Childe Harold’s
Pilgrimage, Lord Byron had started writing years before Ada was born. Byron wrote the fourth
and final canto when Ada was a toddler. He is supposed to have started to write the final canto
when he was on a ship crossing the English channel on his way to the European Continent.
(Essinger 19). Lord Byron was prone to depression and even suffered from what we now call
Bipolar Syndrome, (Essinger 15).
Lord Byron died in Greece when Ada was eight years old, meaning that she never had a
close relationship with him (“ Ada Lovelace” par 2). The Byron family had an unsettling history.
“...The title Lord Byron was previously given to the Byron family a century ago by King Charles
I.” Lord Byron's father, John Byron, was a British army officer with the nickname of “Mad
Jack.” “...He spent much of his time philandering and squandering money that wasn't his”
(Essinger 9).
John Byron's first wife, Amelia, died during childbirth in the year 1784. In May of 1785
he married Catherine Gordon(for her money). They then gave birth to George Gordon, Ada’s
father, in 1788 (Essinger 9-11). At the age of 35, John Byron died penniless (Essinger 13).
The Byron family were plagued with mental and financial issues. “...John Byron’s older
brother,William Byron, known as the “Wicked Lord” because he once stabbed a neighbor to
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death during an argument,” (Essinger 9). The title ‘Lord Byron’ was passed onto Ada’s father at
the young age of ten, following the death of his uncle (Essinger 13).

3. What is Ada’s personal history? (brief background including career, marriage and death)

A typical day for Ada as a child was French, reading, arithmetic, music and ending with
more French (Essinger 36). The school day lasted for at least 6 hours at the insistence of her
mother. Lady Byron believed that she needed to keep Ada stimulated mentally so she would not
be like her father. This mindset kept her(daughter) away from poetry and creative writing, so
Ada learned about mathematics at a young age (Essinger 36 and 37). She did not attend a
university, but she had tutors. Lady Byron started hiring tutors to teach Ada from a young age.
“[Once] Lady Byron hired tutors and she paid them $300 a year.” Today this is equivalent to
$300,000 ( Essinger 55).
Lady Byron thought that Ada’s education was very important and, as a mathematician
herself, she felt that math would be able to keep Ada away from poetry. Her mother thought
“There are no weeds in her mind; it has to be planted,” (Essinger 55).
“...Ada Lovelace's notes were not taken seriously and no one read/believed in her work
because she was a woman. If she was a man, her work would have been a huge deal and
changed history,” (Essinger 192).
Ada met Charles Babbage in 1833 when she was just 17. She was fascinated with his
analytical machine, which was an early concept of the general computer. She liked the idea of
the cogwheels of the machine. Ada seemed to have a natural understanding of linking the world
of mathematics to the physical machine (Essinger 87). Ada and her mother, Lady Byron, went to
Babbage’s home and were shown his Difference Engine ( Essinger 86 and 87). Charles Babbage
changed Ada’s purpose in life; she was always interested in mathematics and sciences, but now
she had somewhere to focus all those years of tutoring and knowledge she gained (Essinger 92).
She called it her "poetic science" (“Ada lovelace Institute” par 7). While Charles saw the
machine, Ada saw what the Analytical Machine could be. This is why she is considered to be a
computer programmer. Ada and Charles grew closer during the summer of 1843 and many
believe they had a romantic interest in each other (Essinger 79).
Ada decided to translate Menabrea’s article from French to English. “...This article was
about 8,000 words but the manner in which she interpeterated the information was
unique.”(Essinger 163). She wrote, “...In studying the action of the Analytical Engine, we find
that the peculiar and independent nature of the considerations which in all mathematical analysis
belong to operations, as distinguished from the objects operated upon those objects, is very
strikingly defined and separated” (“ Ada Lovelace” par 12).
Ada and her mother had a difficult relationship; her mother feared that Ada would take
after her father’s lavish and dangerous behaviors. “Lady Byron was concerned that her daughter
would show signs of ‘moral deviation’” (Essinger 36).
She had Ada watched by her close friends for this behavior. “...Ada was rumored to
enjoy gambling on horse racing, losing considerable amounts of money, and had many lovers,”
(Essinger 202).
Ada got married on July 8, 1835 to William Baron King. Her husband William was given

the title of Earl of Lovelace in 1838, Ada received the title Countess of Lovelace and was known
as Lady Lovelace. Ada and William had three children: Byron, Anne Isabella, and Ralph
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Gordon (“ Ada Lovelace” par 12). Ada named her children after her father.
Ada’s marriage suffered at the end of her life. Lady Byron took control of the household
while Ada was sick. Eventually, her mother chose which of Ada's friends could visit, telling her
daughter that John Crosse, Ada’s close friend, was no longer allowed to visit. Ada and her
mother still did not have a good relationship with each other. (Essinger par 216).
At the age of 36 on November 27, 1852, Ada died (“Ada Lovelace '' par 18). Ada’s cause
of death was uterine cancer, a “...type of cancer that forms inside of the lining of the uterus,” ("
Uterine Cancer" par 1 ). By Ada's request she was buried next to her father as her last revenge
on Lady Byron.

4. What is the history of Ada Lovelace country? How did history impact Ada's success or failure

Ada grew up in the early 1800s and died in the 1850s. In England during this time period
women had limited options and were not seen as men's equals. Women had their place; they
were to stay home, take care of children, lead a household, and be submissive to their husbands
(Essinger 72-73).
During this time period England had an economic expansion due to the vastness of the
British empire. “...The expansion of the Empire fueled exports, and those markets were
dominated by Britain. The massive amount of exports from Britain helped to make the middle
class much larger, and which drove the domestic economy,” (Essinger 72). “... One portion of the
economy which grew was the textile industry. By 1833, close to one half of all British exports
were textiles,” (Essinger 73). “...The machine that allowed this to happen was the Jacquard
Loom. The loom used a system of punch cards to control the configuration of desired design,”
(Essinger 76). The Jacquard loom was a huge success with business as it was able to create the
same designs over and over again, basically making things consistent. The loom allowed for
more products to be produced and lowered the cost of production.Lovelace made the connection
between how this loom operated with Babbabe's Analytical Engine, which fueled her success
(Essingere 77).
Ada’s success was her notes on Luigi Menabrea notes from Babbage's lecture. Ada
translated the notes and then came up with her own thoughts to improve the usefulness of the
machine. Ada's created extensive notes labeled A-G. in her notes, is where Ada writes the first
computer program for Babbage's creation. She had the thought to integrate the machine’s ability
with human input (“Ada Lovelace Institute” par 5-6).

5. What group is associated with Ada Lovelace?

Since Ada is often referred to as the first computer programmer, based on the fact that she
recognized the possibility of Charles Babbage’s machine, the group associated with her are the
men that had the ideas that would become the basis of the computer. She believed that the
Analytical Engine could do more than calculations, and so she published the first algorithm
intended for the machine. This was done through the notes she wrote while she was translating a
paper written by Luigi Menabrea. “...Menabrea was an Italian engineer who later became the

Prime Minister of Italy,” ( “Luigi Federico Menabrea” par 1). Menabrea had transcribed
Babbage’s lecture into French and then Ada translated back into English. Ada notes were
published in the September 1843 edition of Taylor’s Scientific Memoirs under the initialism of
A.A.L. “...Her notes took her about a year to complete and were very extensive” (“ Ada
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Lovelace” par 23). They were labeled A to G; and the G notes were where Ada shined. In that
portion of her notes, “...she described an algorithm for the Analytical Engine to compute
Bernoulli numbers” (“ Ada Lovelace” par 24). It is considered to be the very first published
algorithm written specifically for the implementation on a computer. “...Ada was instrumental in
arranging the order of punch cards to operate the machine, but unfortunately the Analytical
Engine was never completed” (“Ada Lovelace” par 24).
Ada Lovelace was also friends with Mary Somerville. Somerville was Ada's tutor when
Ada was a teenager who taught her math and science. “..Mary Somerville also introduced Ada
to Charles Babbage who became her coworker and introduced her to machines such as the
Analytical Machine which she made her code for (“Ada Lovelace” par 12).

6. What are the practices/traditions of the group associated with her?

Ada and Babbage worked on the concept of the Analytical Machine that used punch
cards (“Analytical Engine” par 6). Ada believed that numbers could mean other things and that
the computer could understand letters and musical notes. Ada wrote notes on how this could be
done on the Analytical Engine.
Babbage was working on the Difference Engine when he got new ideas to improve the
design of it. “... The improved design became the Analytical machine which was started in
1833,”("Analytical Engine” par 2).
“...The Difference Engine was invented by Babbage in the 1820’s and it is basically an
automatic mechanical calculator. It was supposed to be used to solve common mathematical
functions. The machine was powered by a hand crank, which a human had to turn,” (“Famous
Scientists” Charles Babbage par 16).
“...Babbage was given a British government grant in 1823 to produce a working example
of the machine. The grant was based on drawings done by Babbage. Babbage produced a small
scale version of the Difference Engine in 1833, 1/7th the size of the original design. He finally
gave up on the project in 1842 after the British Government had given him 17,000 pounds. He
never did make a full size version of the Difference Engine,” (“Famous Scientists” Charles
Babbage par 17 and 18).
“...The Analytical Engine was first proposed in 1837 as a successor to his Difference
Engine… It was described as a mechanical general-purpose computer... It incorporated an
arithmetic logic unit, control flow in the form of conditional branching and loops, and integrated
memory. In simple terms, the logic structure of the Analytical Engine was essentially the same
as what has dominated computer design to this day,” (“Analytical Engine” par 2).
“...This design used punch cards to operate the machine and carry instructions” (“
Analytical Engine” par 6) which had already been used on the Jacquard loom to improve
efficiency in the textile industry.
A full size Analytical Engine was never produced, but in 1991 the London Science
museum built a complete and working example of Babbage’s Difference Engine N. 2. Babbage
had incorporated design changes into this version of the Difference Engine that he had
discovered while working on the Analytical Engine (“Analytical Engine” par 13). “...When the

Difference Engine was finally built in 1991, they used materials which would have been
available in the 1830 and the machine worked very well” (“Analytical Engine” par 13).
Lovelace's thinking and writings on the relationship between humans and machines was
years ahead of her time. This thinking is what distinguishes herself from Babbage. While he
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just saw the machine as a tool, Ada could see the relationships between the machine, humans and
society.
The Ada Lovelace Institute was created in 2018 ( “Ada Lovelace Institute” par 4). The
Institute has its main objective being “...to extend her impact into twenty-first century
technological societies,” (“Ada Lovelace Institute” par 16). “...We work to promote debate and
informed public understanding, and amplify the voices that need to be heard to make sure AI and
data driven technologies work for diverse groups of people and societies,” (“Ada lovelace
Institute” par 17). The Institute also promotes what Ada called “poetical science” as she
described as “... imagination is the discovering faculty…that which feels the REAL which exists
not for our senses…. Mathematical science shows what is. It is the language of unseen relations
between things” (“Ada Lovelace Institute” par 7).

7. Did she practice a religion, philosophy, belief system or other devotion?

Ada had a devotion to the Analytical Engine. She believed that it could be used more
than computing numbers. Ada perceived the analytical machine as her ‘poetical science.’ “...If
you can’t give me poetry, can’t you give me poetical science?” (“Ada Lovelace Institute” par 7).
She further explained it as “...imagination is the discovering faculty… that which feels the REAL
which exists not for our senses…. Mathematical science shows what is. It is the language of
unseen relations between things,” (“Ada Lovelace Institute” par 7). Ada belief that the
Analytical “…could go beyond calculations and numbers,” (“ Ada Lovelace” par 1).
Lady Byron convinced Ada to have a religious transformation on her deathbed and
encouraged her daughter to repent for her sins. Her mother, Lady Byron, wished for Ada to
believe in Christ. Ada was known to be agnostic. A couple days later, “... after her mother's
prompting, Ada confessed her sins to William. Her husband walked out of the room devastated
and remained silent about what Ada had revealed to him. William wrote “that if he was absent it
should be known that ‘Lady Byron is the mistress of my house and Ada was no longer, ‘Our
Bird.’” (Essinger 224).

8. What impact has she had on the world?

Ada’s work was very important; even her mother knew this. After her death, Lady Bryon
kept the notes (which were Ada’s pride and joy) to show to the world what her daughter had
done. Lady Bryon understood how important these notes could be to Babbage's Analytical
machine. Ada had wished to reach above and beyond. She had desperately wanted to see the
machine improve, so with her notes she created a code for the machine (citation). Ada’s dream
was to see the machine's future grow and prosper. To see how far her ideas and coding have
come today would make her extremely proud.
Ada had an impact on computer science. “...Konrad Zuse, a German civil engineer and
pioneering computer scientist, …made the modern computer,” with Ada’s and Charles' work
(“Knorad Zuse” par 1). “...Zuse created his first computer creation in 1938 and called it the Z1.

The Z1 had over 30,000 metal parts. The machine had issues due to poor mechanical precision,”
(“Konrad Zuse” par 8). “...He created the Z2 in 1940 which was basically a revised Z1 with the
use of telephone relays” (“Knorad Zuse” par 9). “...Zuse received resources from the Nazi
Germany government after being called into military service,” (“Konrad Zuse” par 10 and 11).
“...In 1941, he presented the Z3 which was a binary 22-bit floating point calculator which was
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programmable,” (“Konrad Zuse” par 13). “...The Z3 is considered the first fully operational
electromechanical computer,” (“Knorad Zuse” par 14). This machine was as big as a house and
was destroyed during WWII. (“Knorad Zuse” par 10). “ Zuse technology was used in the first
guided missiles developed by the German military between 1941- 1945 which are now
considered the precursors to the modern cruise missile,” (“Knorad Zuse” par 17). Zuse finished
his next creation, the Z4 in 1949 and delivered it in 1950. The new version of the Z4 was more
programmable” (“Konrad Zuse” par 13).
Today, computers are everywhere in the world, examples being your phone, car, and
television. Can you imagine how different our lives and world would be without computers
which are based on Ada’s mathematical advancements? Ada and Charles’s work led to Zuse
being able to use their ideas and creating the first computer. Zuse created what Ada had
envisioned; the analytical machine could become and what she worked so hard to get others to
envision.

9. Would you be interested in meeting Ada Lovelace? Why?

Yes, I would be interested in meeting Ada Lovelace because I found her life very
intriguing. I would ask Mrs. Lovelace questions that are not answered in the book such as ‘how
did you mentally overcome being bed-ridden for 3 years of your life?’ I want to know why she
was so infatuated with her father. She named two of her children after him, though she had never
met him; she only had heard stories from her mother. “... Ada requested upon her death to be
buried beside her father,Lord Byron” (“ Ada Lovelace” par 2).
What caused this final jab at her mother and their relationship? In the book, it does not
seem as if they were close, especially when Ada was sick.
I would also love to know more about her relationship with Charles Babbage, especially
because their friendship opened up a new world for Ada. I want to ask about her marriage to
William 8th Baron King. “They had three children and a love of horses, but I do not truly know
how she felt about ‘aimless man,’” (Essinger 125). The question of what Ada confessed to her
husband on her deathbed that would make him abandon her is still unanswered.
Ada appeared to be attracted to scandal. She was rumored to have numerous affairs and
having gambling issues (Essinger 202). She wanted to be taken seriously, especially when
translating Babbage’s lecture notes, and Ada understood that she had created something
important. Ada lived a life of adventure and peril for a woman in her time.

Works Cited

"Ada Lovelace." Wikipedia Foundation. Web. March 10, 2022.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace#Adult_years

"Analytical Engine." Wikipedia Foundation.. Web. March 24, 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytical_Engine

“Charles Babbage.” Famous Scientists. Web. March 29, 2022.

https://www.famousscientists.org/charles-babbage/

“Computing.” Wikipedia Foundation.. Web. March , 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computing

Essinger, James. Ada’s Algorithm. Melville House, 2014 Print.

Gregersen, Erik. “Ada Lovelace.” Britannica. January 14, 2021. Web. March 10, 2022

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ada-Lovelace

“Konrad Zuse.” Wikipedia Foundation. Web. March 24, 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konrad_Zuse

“Luigi Federico Menabrea.” Wikipedia Foundation.. Web. March 27, 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Federico_Menabrea

Reeve, Octavia. “Celebrating Ada Lovelace.”Ada Lovelace Institute. October 8, 2019.

Web. March 31, 2022.

“Uterine Cancer.” Wikipedia Foundation. Web. March 10, 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uterine_cancer

“Victorian Era.” Wikipedia Foundation. Web. March 22, 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era