Babbage Charles

Bab·bage

B0002000 (băb′ĭj), Charles 1791-1871. British mathematician and inventor of an analytical machine based on principles similar to those used in modern computers.

Bab·bage

(băb′ĭj), Charles 1792-1871. British mathematician, inventor, and pioneer of machine computing. In 1820 Babbage built a model of a mechanical device, called a difference engine, which was used to make repetitive calculations. Later he designed a much larger machine, called an analytical engine, which could be programmed with punched cards. Although the analytical engine was never finished, it is recognized as the forerunner of the modern computer.