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Math/Maths History Tour of Nottingham 1/3 – Computing: Burroughs Adding Machines & Ada Lovelace

When Samuel Hansen visited me in Nottingham I took him on a maths and computing tour of the city and we filmed content for three videos. Here is the first. (Be sure to watch for the bit after the credits!)

Update (05/03/11): I made a YouTube playlist onto which I will add the new videos as they become available.

The Math/Maths Computing History Tour of Nottingham – Burroughs and Ada Lovelace

Nottingham is the burial place of the Byron family and particularly Ada Lovelace, regarded as the world’s first computer programmer, who worked with Charles Babbage on his Difference and Analytical Engines. Nottingham was also the overseas manufacturing plant for Burroughs Adding Machine Company, a precursor of modern computers, which became one of the eight major United States computer companies and ultimately joined a merger to form worldwide IT brand Unisys.

When Samuel Hansen visited Peter Rowlett in Nottingham, Peter took Samuel on a mathematics and computing history tour of the city. In this video, Peter shows Samuel some of the sites related to this story in Nottingham, following a clue from David Singmaster’s Mathematical Gazetteer of the British Isles, and Samuel tells Peter some of the relevant history of computing.

Listen to Samuel and Peter on the Math/Maths Podcast, a weekly maths news roundup from Pulse-Project.org.

Samuel Hansen’s visit to the UK and associated activities were supported by: University of Nevada, Las Vegas, University of Greenwich, University of Leicester Mathsoc, Nottingham Trent University, MathsJam, Nottingham High School, Bromley House Library and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

One Response to “Math/Maths History Tour of Nottingham 1/3 – Computing: Burroughs Adding Machines & Ada Lovelace”

  1. Avatar Kimberley Bacon

    I was not really good in mathematics but maybe I can be good though by studying it’s history . I cannot guarantee that I will fully understand it’s essence but its flow will be east for me to derive a wonderful fact that math is amazing to learn.

    Reply

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