Definition:Babbage's Analytical Engine/Mistake
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Source Work
1989: Ephraim J. Borowski and Jonathan M. Borwein: Dictionary of Mathematics:
- analytical engine or difference engine
Mistake
- analytical engine or difference engine
- a mechanical precursor of the modern digital computer, including a punched-card reader and a memory storage device, of which the principle was described by Charles Babbage in $1834$, but which was never completed.
Correction
What is being described here is Babbage's analytical engine, which was a completely different machine from Babbage's difference engine.
The latter was being worked on from as early as $1819$.
Neither were actually fully constructed in Charles Babbage's lifetime, but $2$ working difference engines were constructed in the late $20$th century and early part of the $21$st century.
Sources
- 1989: Ephraim J. Borowski and Jonathan M. Borwein: Dictionary of Mathematics ... (previous) ... (next): analytical engine or difference engine