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Fact: Charles Babbage designed arguably the world's first ever
Turing-complete machine. (75 years before Alan Turing was even born, I
notice.)
Question: When did electricity become common knowledge?
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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On 07/02/2011 08:55 AM, Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> Fact: Charles Babbage designed arguably the world's first ever
> Turing-complete machine. (75 years before Alan Turing was even born, I
> notice.)
>
> Question: When did electricity become common knowledge?
>
I would say early to mid 1800's ... 1800 Volta (battery) or ... 1831
Faraday (electric dynamo)
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Orchid XP v8 <voi### [at] dev null> wrote:
> Fact: Charles Babbage designed arguably the world's first ever
> Turing-complete machine. (75 years before Alan Turing was even born, I
> notice.)
>
> Question: When did electricity become common knowledge?
Btw, I'm sure you realize the two of them are unrelated to each other, right?
Babbage's machines were completely mechanical devices...
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On 02/07/2011 09:20 PM, nemesis wrote:
> Orchid XP v8<voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>> Fact: Charles Babbage designed arguably the world's first ever
>> Turing-complete machine. (75 years before Alan Turing was even born, I
>> notice.)
>>
>> Question: When did electricity become common knowledge?
>
> Btw, I'm sure you realize the two of them are unrelated to each other, right?
> Babbage's machines were completely mechanical devices...
...and you think I'm asking about this because...? :-P
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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On 2-7-2011 23:28, Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> On 02/07/2011 09:20 PM, nemesis wrote:
>> Orchid XP v8<voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>>> Fact: Charles Babbage designed arguably the world's first ever
>>> Turing-complete machine. (75 years before Alan Turing was even born, I
>>> notice.)
>>>
>>> Question: When did electricity become common knowledge?
>>
>> Btw, I'm sure you realize the two of them are unrelated to each other,
>> right?
>> Babbage's machines were completely mechanical devices...
>
> ...and you think I'm asking about this because...? :-P
>
Because it was too long since you last asked something that you could
find the answer to in under five minutes?
--
Apparently you can afford your own dictator for less than 10 cents per
citizen per day.
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On 07/02/2011 06:36 PM, andrel wrote:
> On 2-7-2011 23:28, Orchid XP v8 wrote:
>> On 02/07/2011 09:20 PM, nemesis wrote:
>>> Orchid XP v8<voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>>>> Fact: Charles Babbage designed arguably the world's first ever
>>>> Turing-complete machine. (75 years before Alan Turing was even born, I
>>>> notice.)
>>>>
>>>> Question: When did electricity become common knowledge?
>>>
>>> Btw, I'm sure you realize the two of them are unrelated to each other,
>>> right?
>>> Babbage's machines were completely mechanical devices...
>>
>> ...and you think I'm asking about this because...? :-P
>>
>
> Because it was too long since you last asked something that you could
> find the answer to in under five minutes?
>
>
LOL ... yeah I knew the names but was a bit fuzzy on the dates. Not even
two minutes ;-)
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>> ...and you think I'm asking about this because...? :-P
>
> Because it was too long since you last asked something that you could
> find the answer to in under five minutes?
I spent half an hour on Wikipedia and couldn't really find the
information I was looking for. I figured somebody here might know.
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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>> Question: When did electricity become common knowledge?
>>
> I would say early to mid 1800's ... 1800 Volta (battery) or ... 1831
> Faraday (electric dynamo)
From what I can gather from Wikipedia, Babbage's Analytical Engine was
1837. It seems clear that at that data, some scientists at least were
aware of the existence of electricity. But I can't find any word on when
electricity came to be "useful", nor when it became "widely known".
And, obviously, no mention on whether Babbage himself knew it existed. ;-)
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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On 3-7-2011 11:39, Orchid XP v8 wrote:
>>> ...and you think I'm asking about this because...? :-P
>>
>> Because it was too long since you last asked something that you could
>> find the answer to in under five minutes?
>
> I spent half an hour on Wikipedia and couldn't really find the
> information I was looking for. I figured somebody here might know.
Ah, yes, p.o-t as a meta-search engine, one of the best there is.
--
Apparently you can afford your own dictator for less than 10 cents per
citizen per day.
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On 3-7-2011 11:41, Orchid XP v8 wrote:
>>> Question: When did electricity become common knowledge?
>>>
>> I would say early to mid 1800's ... 1800 Volta (battery) or ... 1831
>> Faraday (electric dynamo)
>
> From what I can gather from Wikipedia, Babbage's Analytical Engine was
> 1837. It seems clear that at that data, some scientists at least were
> aware of the existence of electricity. But I can't find any word on when
> electricity came to be "useful", nor when it became "widely known".
>
> And, obviously, no mention on whether Babbage himself knew it existed. ;-)
Electricity as such he knew about, even if only as static electricity.
At that point in time small efficient electromotors were not available,
nor was there a distribution grid
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Currents). It would not have been a
viable choice, even less than the gears.
IMHO asking about a connection of the analytic machine and electricity
is as sensible as asking why the first combustion engines did not use a
computer to adjust the timing. Something very wrong with the order of
historic events. But I assume you asked because you didn't know the
order of events.
--
Apparently you can afford your own dictator for less than 10 cents per
citizen per day.
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>> I spent half an hour on Wikipedia and couldn't really find the
>> information I was looking for. I figured somebody here might know.
>
> Ah, yes, p.o-t as a meta-search engine, one of the best there is.
You know it's true. ;-)
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>> And, obviously, no mention on whether Babbage himself knew it existed.
>> ;-)
>
> Electricity as such he knew about, even if only as static electricity.
> At that point in time small efficient electromotors were not available,
> nor was there a distribution grid
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Currents). It would not have been a
> viable choice, even less than the gears.
OK. Well that's essentially what I was asking.
Even more than whether it was "feasible", I was wondering whether it's
an idea that anyone would have even thought of. Did people know enough
about electricity to realise that you could use it to transmit information?
> IMHO asking about a connection of the analytic machine and electricity
> is as sensible as asking why the first combustion engines did not use a
> computer to adjust the timing. Something very wrong with the order of
> historic events. But I assume you asked because you didn't know the
> order of events.
Yeah. I vaguely gather that Babbage was a mad Victorian inventor. And
I've heard the telegraph described as "the Victorian internet", so...
(When I first heard about the Analytical Engine, I had assumed it
pre-dated the discovery of electricity, but clearly that isn't strictly
true.)
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On 07/04/2011 04:57 AM, Invisible wrote:
>>> And, obviously, no mention on whether Babbage himself knew it existed.
>>> ;-)
>>
>> Electricity as such he knew about, even if only as static electricity.
>> At that point in time small efficient electromotors were not available,
>> nor was there a distribution grid
>> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Currents). It would not have been a
>> viable choice, even less than the gears.
>
> OK. Well that's essentially what I was asking.
>
> Even more than whether it was "feasible", I was wondering whether it's
> an idea that anyone would have even thought of. Did people know enough
> about electricity to realise that you could use it to transmit information?
yes Marconi... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guglielmo_Marconi
>
>> IMHO asking about a connection of the analytic machine and electricity
>> is as sensible as asking why the first combustion engines did not use a
>> computer to adjust the timing. Something very wrong with the order of
>> historic events. But I assume you asked because you didn't know the
>> order of events.
>
> Yeah. I vaguely gather that Babbage was a mad Victorian inventor. And
> I've heard the telegraph described as "the Victorian internet", so...
>
> (When I first heard about the Analytical Engine, I had assumed it
> pre-dated the discovery of electricity, but clearly that isn't strictly
> true.)
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>> Even more than whether it was "feasible", I was wondering whether it's
>> an idea that anyone would have even thought of. Did people know enough
>> about electricity to realise that you could use it to transmit
>> information?
>
> yes Marconi... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guglielmo_Marconi
...who apparently died exactly one century after the Analytical Engine
was designed...
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On 04/07/2011 08:57 AM, Invisible wrote:
> Even more than whether it was "feasible", I was wondering whether it's
> an idea that anyone would have even thought of. Did people know enough
> about electricity to realise that you could use it to transmit information?
It appears the earliest telegraph experiments happened somewhere around
this time-frame. I don't know how widely-known they were at the time though.
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On 04/07/2011 12:34 PM, Invisible wrote:
> On 04/07/2011 08:57 AM, Invisible wrote:
>
>> Even more than whether it was "feasible", I was wondering whether it's
>> an idea that anyone would have even thought of. Did people know enough
>> about electricity to realise that you could use it to transmit
>> information?
>
> It appears the earliest telegraph experiments happened somewhere around
> this time-frame. I don't know how widely-known they were at the time
> though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fax#History
--
Regards
Stephen
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On 04/07/2011 7:27 PM, Stephen wrote:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fax#History
>
Andrew, you often post links to cartoons so here is one from me. :-)
http://www.secretlifeofmachines.com/secret_life_of_the_fax_machine.shtml
--
Regards
Stephen
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http://acarol.woz.org/difference_engine.html
Oh you have *got* to be kidding me! o_O
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Ooo, look:
http://www.fourmilab.ch/babbage/contents.html
I just read the report of the committee advising against building the
Analytical Engine. It always seems like such a short-signed decision.
Like they had no idea what the possibilities of the machine were.
However, on reading the report (with all its amusing language), it
appears that the /actual/ reasons where:
1. The designs are unfinished.
2. It is unknown whether the design would actually work properly.
3. It is unknown what the machine would cost to build.
4. It is unknown how quickly the machine would wear out.
These are actually pretty valid objections, really...
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Invisible <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> http://www.fourmilab.ch/babbage/contents.html
That page looks so 90's that it hurts my eyes.
--
- Warp
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On 06/07/2011 04:28 PM, Warp wrote:
> Invisible<voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>> http://www.fourmilab.ch/babbage/contents.html
>
> That page looks so 90's that it hurts my eyes.
Oh hell yeah, that too...
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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On 06/07/2011 03:43 PM, Invisible wrote:
> Ooo, look:
>
> http://www.fourmilab.ch/babbage/contents.html
Heheheh. Victorian English. Dear me, this stuff is amusing.
"Such works could not be carried on without great expenditure. The
fluctuations in the demand and supply of skilled labour were
considerable. The railroad mania withdrew from other pursuits the most
intellectual and skilful draftsmen. One who had for some years been my
chief assistant was tempted by an offer so advantageous that in justice
to his own family he could scarcely have declined it."
Damn. I could have just written "this required skilled labour, which the
railroads soaked up". Heh.
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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