Difference Engine No. 1
E586579
Difference Engine No. 1 is Charles Babbage’s early 19th-century mechanical calculator prototype, designed to automatically compute and tabulate polynomial functions.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
mechanical calculator
ⓘ
prototype computing device ⓘ |
| associatedInstitution |
British government Treasury
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Royal Astronomical Society NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedPerson | Joseph Clement NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| automation | automatic ⓘ |
| calculationMethod | finite differences ⓘ |
| computationalPrinciple | mechanical digit wheels ⓘ |
| computes |
logarithmic tables
ⓘ
mathematical tables ⓘ polynomial functions ⓘ trigonometric tables ⓘ |
| constructionStatus | only partial sections built in Babbage’s lifetime ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| designer | Charles Babbage NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| field |
history of computing
ⓘ
mathematics ⓘ mechanical engineering ⓘ |
| fundingSource | British government NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| grantYear | 1823 ⓘ |
| hasPart |
axles
ⓘ
columns of figure wheels ⓘ crank handle ⓘ gears ⓘ |
| hasSuccessor | Difference Engine No. 2 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| historicalPeriod | early 19th century ⓘ |
| inception |
1820s
ⓘ
1822 ⓘ |
| influenced |
Analytical Engine
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Difference Engine No. 2 NERFINISHED ⓘ concept of automatic computation ⓘ |
| influencedBy | table-making errors in printed mathematical tables ⓘ |
| intendedUse |
astronomical tables
ⓘ
error-free mathematical tables ⓘ navigation tables ⓘ |
| locationOfDesign | London NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| material |
brass
ⓘ
steel ⓘ |
| notableFor |
being one of the earliest designs for an automatic calculator
ⓘ
use of method of finite differences in hardware ⓘ |
| numberSystem | decimal ⓘ |
| powerSource | manual crank ⓘ |
| precision | up to 6-digit results (planned) ⓘ |
| projectCostIssue | cost overruns ⓘ |
| projectIssue |
conflict with engineer Joseph Clement
ⓘ
engineering difficulties ⓘ |
| status | never fully completed ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.