Essay Sample about Ada Lovelace

📌Category: Science, Scientist
📌Words: 1009
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 19 June 2022

Would you believe that the first computer program was written in 1843, long before computers even existed? Ada Lovelace is considered to be the first computer programmer as a result of creating an algorithm based on a lecture she translated to English from a seminar on analytical engines. Ada was also the first to understand the true potential of a device like the proposed analytical engine. Ada Lovelace is a true inspiration in STEM development as she is viewed as the first computer programmer in history, overcoming gender and physical restrictions in a world dominated by males, and has paved the way in future STEM advancements

I can easily tell you that she had a great mind but going over some of her achievements would be a much easier way to re-iterate that point. The man she worked with, Charles Babbage, is known as the father-of-modern-computing, but one could easily say that Ada Lovelace is the mother-of-modern-computing. Her work in mathematics led to the development of the calculations that these early machines could produce. She often considered her approach to mathematics as more of a poetical science from an analytical perspective. In order for the first computer to work right, it needed a procedure installed that could help it produce accurate calculations. This is a step-by-step process that must be processed by the engineer of the machine so that it will work in an automated fashion in the future. Lovelace created the first well-defined instructions that were necessary for the Analytical Machine, An idea proposed by Charles Babbage, to be able to function properly and her notes that were included in this work are widely recognized as the world’s first computer algorithm. If you don’t call Lovelace the mother-of-modern-computing, you could call her the mother-of-computer-programming. Over the course of a year, she took on the task of translating an article that had been published by an Italian military engineer regarding the operations of the Analytical Machine. She then took these translations and added her own notes to the process so that they could be effectively added to the programming. She was then able to take this vision to see that computer programs could be expanded to do much more than just make basic calculations or crunch numbers. It’s also important to understand she was able to do all this while living in a time where women were discouraged from working or exploring areas of interest that didn’t involve caring for children. 

While her work greatly furthered scientific development, Ada Lovelace’s life was still filled with many hardships matched with equal opportunities Growing up, her mother and father lived separately. Being her father’s child, Ada had greatly worried her mother with her potential in poetry as her mother didn’t want Ada to excel in the same field as her father due to his perceived insanity and instead encouraged her to further explore mathematics. This wasn’t exactly a problem as Lovelace enjoyed scientific and mathematic research. I believe she was able to live a satisfying life where she could explore these interests even after becoming an adult because of the support she was given. Despite how often she was ill as a child, she studied regularly and aimed to further her education using her educational and social exploits to her advantage. Through her pursuit of knowledge, she came into contact with scientists like Andrew Crosse, Michael Faraday, and author Charles Dickens. It was through her tutor, Mary Sommerville, that she met a fellow British mathematician, Charles Babbage, who she would later work with on his proposed Analytical Engine. Even after having three children, she continued her research with Babbage despite the fact mothers at the time were only expected to work at home.  Even today, much of her work is discredited despite the many accounts of her own hard work and genius. There are many who believe that it was actually all Babbage’s work but even he didn’t understand the analytical engine could be used for things outside of calculations. Some even believe that Lovelace shouldn’t be the one praised because she herself didn’t devise the analytical engine but as stated before, she was the first to truly realize a machine like such could use the patterns or codes inputted to form letters or even images. Lovelace even spoke of a similar machine playing music based on the values entered.  With so much stopping her, her persistence to explore the areas of study that interested really shine through with how much she was able to accomplish. 

Although the future can never be anything but uncertain, reflecting on the past can certainly help us plan ahead and when looking back on the life of Ada Lovelace, I believe the future will be much more gender-inclusive. Ada Lovelace’s work is often shown to newer programmers because of the simple way she explains the basics of a computer and how it works. Even when working with the same basic principle, we’ve seen that computers are capable of even more than what Lovelace imagined and while we still use her ideology to create computer programs, we’ve already been able to accomplish intense tasks through these systems. At the time of her work, women were discouraged from exploring areas of study like math and science and it’s not until a century after her death that her notes were even discovered and published, but even with the continuous problem misogyny poses, Lovelace can be an inspiration to others of what you can accomplish even when discouraged. The only reason Lovelace became so adept with mathematics and science was because of the support she was given to pursue these interests from her mother and tutors. Today, guardians and caretakers of those with defined interests should help their children explore these interests and encourage them to be curious.  Ada Lovelace overall is a perfect example of what determination and support can help one accomplish even when one’s interests are disapproved of by others.

Ada Lovelace is truly inspiring for her firm resolution to remain unbothered by the expectations of others and pursue what she enjoys. With many achievements to her name, it’s easy to see why Lovelace is called the first computer programmer. Despite a life with many obstacles, Ada Lovelace remained focused on a life of academic pursuit. I believe Lovelace makes a great motivating force for myself and others for her great accomplishments. I truly do believe that Lovelace’s case is the perfect example that when given even a little support for the areas that interest them, a person’s talents can truly shine.

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