The Calculating Machines of Charles Babbage
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Mister Mary Somerville: Husband and Secretary
Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs Mister Mary Somerville: Husband and Secretary Journal Item How to cite: Stenhouse, Brigitte (2020). Mister Mary Somerville: Husband and Secretary. The Mathematical Intelligencer (Early Access). For guidance on citations see FAQs. c 2020 The Author https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Version: Version of Record Link(s) to article on publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1007/s00283-020-09998-6 Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk Mister Mary Somerville: Husband and Secretary BRIGITTE STENHOUSE ary Somerville’s life as a mathematician and mathematician). Although no scientific learned society had a savant in nineteenth-century Great Britain was formal statute barring women during Somerville’s lifetime, MM heavily influenced by her gender; as a woman, there was nonetheless a great reluctance even toallow women her access to the ideas and resources developed and into the buildings, never mind to endow them with the rights circulated in universities and scientific societies was highly of members. Except for the visit of the prolific author Margaret restricted. However, her engagement with learned institu- Cavendish in 1667, the Royal Society of London did not invite tions was by no means nonexistent, and although she was women into their hallowed halls until 1876, with the com- 90 before being elected a full member of any society mencement of their second conversazione [15, 163], which (Societa` Geografica Italiana, 1870), Somerville (Figure 1) women were permitted to attend.1 As late as 1886, on the nevertheless benefited from the resources and social nomination of Isis Pogson as a fellow, the Council of the Royal networks cultivated by such institutions from as early as Astronomical Society chose to interpret their constitution as 1812. -
In the Stores of the British Museum Are Three Exquisite Springs, Made in the Late 1820S and 1830S, to Regulate the Most Precise Timepieces in the World
1 Riotous assemblage and the materials of regulation Abstract: In the stores of the British Museum are three exquisite springs, made in the late 1820s and 1830s, to regulate the most precise timepieces in the world. Barely the thickness of a hair, they are exquisite because they are made entirely of glass. Combining new documentary evidence, funded by the Antiquarian Horological Society, with the first technical analysis of the springs, undertaken in collaboration with the British Museum, the research presented here uncovers their extraordinary significance to the global extension of nineteenth century capitalism through the repeal of the Corn Laws. In the 1830s and 1840s the Astronomer Royal, George Biddell Airy; the Hydrographer to the Admiralty, Francis Beaufort; and the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel, collaborated with the virtuoso chronometer-maker, Edward John Dent, to mobilize the specificity of particular forms of glass, the salience of the Glass Tax, and the significance of state standards, as means to reform. These protagonists looked to glass and its properties to transform the fiscal military state into an exquisitely regulated machine with the appearance of automation and the gloss of the free-trade liberal ideal. Surprising but significant connexions, linking Newcastle mobs to tales of Cinderella and the use of small change, demonstrate why historians must attend to materials and how such attention exposes claims to knowledge, the interests behind such claims, and the impact they have had upon the design and architecture of the modern world. Through the pivotal role of glass, this paper reveals the entangled emergence of state and market capitalism, and how the means of production was transformed in vitreous proportions. -
P. G. Scheutz, Publicist, Author, Scientific Gineer—Biography And
238 p. g. scheutz and edvard scheutz I. Department: War Branch or Bureau: Ordnance Department Description of activity: A. Moore School of Electrical Engineering, Construction of an electronic digital machine ("EDVAC"). B. Institute for Advanced Study and RCA Labs., Princeton, N. J. Construction of an electronic digital machine (financed only in part by federal funds). C. National Bureau' of Standards, Washington, D, C, Long-range component development program. II. Department: Navy Branch or Bureau: Office of Naval Research Description of Activity: A. National Bureau of Standards, Construction of an electronic digital machine. B. Servomechanisms Lab., Mass, Institute of Technology, Construction of an electronic digital machine to be used in a large guided-missile flight simulator. III. Department: Navy Branch or Bureau: Bureau of Ordnance Description of Activity : A. Harvard Computation Lab., Research and preparation of specifications for an electronic digital machine. B. Naval Ordnance Lab., White Oaks, Md., Construction of an electronic digital machine, temporarily abandoned (Dec. 1946). IV. Department: Commerce Branch or Bureau: Bureau of the Census Description of Activity: National Bureau of Standards, Construction of an electronic digital machine. J. H. Curtiss National Bureau of Standards Editorial Note: Other projected digital machines, unaided in their construction by the U. S. Government, are being built by: (i) The Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N. Y. (ii) The University of California, Berkeley. (iii) The National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, England, under the direction of Dr. Alan M. Turing. The planned Automatic Computing Engine will work at the speed of the ENIAC or possibly somewhat higher, and will take advantage of new technical developments, making possible both a greater memory capacity and a higher degree of complexity in the instructions. -
Downloaded License
Early Science and Medicine 26 (2021) 136–151 brill.com/esm Beyond a Boundary: Reflections on Newton the Historian, Theologian, and Alchemist Scott Mandelbrote Peterhouse , University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK [email protected] In 1963, the Trinidadian historian C.L.R. James adapted Rudyard Kipling to “pose the question What do they know of cricket who only cricket know? To answer involves ideas as well as facts.”1 My remarks here relate neither to empire nor to cricket, but to studies of Isaac Newton. Newton himself acted to shape historical commentary on his life and work, which have been the subject of historical study at least since the time of his death.2 From the beginning of Newton’s public life in the 1670s, access to his working papers became important in forming the reception of his ideas. Newton shared mate- rial, often conditionally, while occasionally seeking broader access to informa- tion generated by others. Major shifts in the interpretation of Newton’s ideas have accompanied significant changes in what was known about his activities and interests. One such change occurred between the writing of the first of David Brewster’s two biographies of Newton (1831) and the second (1855), an interim which unwittingly defined the first great age of Newtonian studies in the his- tory of science. By 1855, Brewster had confronted the substantial witness of unpublished correspondence, biographical memoirs, and working papers held by Newton’s descendants. The challenge posed by Francis Baily’s Account of the Revd. John Flamsteed (London, 1835) or by Augustus De Morgan’s morally critical reading of Newton’s personal life encouraged him to search for materi- als in defence of Newton. -
London Artisans and Its Old Artisans – Millwrights 1775-18251 Part 1
London Artisans and its old artisans – millwrights 1775-18251 Dr. J.G. Moher - January 2016 Part 1 Abstract Set in the late eighteenth/early nineteenth century metropolis and its environs, this is a study of a small but pivotal group of handicraftsmen, the London master and journeymen millwrights. These mechanical handicraftsmen, harnessed the power sources of those times, mill-wheels and engines driven by water, wind, animal and ’fire’. The nature of the craft is examined in its specific setting of the London region’s services, manufactures and industries of the 1770s onwards, using new original sources derived from research into the changing technology of the trade. Although a tiny group, these handicraftsmen attracted one of the first attempts by Parliament to suppress a trade ‘combination’ by law in 1799, signifying a deeper importance than has previously been appreciated. This study reveals the enormous impact of the millwrights’ trade club activities on the London region’s early brewing, distilling and other manufacturing industries. Part 1 examines the technology of the late eighteenth century millwrighting craft. It then traces the course of the industrial and political struggle between the masters and journeymen which culminated in the masters’ and their ‘employers’ campaign for a Bill to suppress the Journeymen’s Society in 1799. 1 Part 2 takes the story on to the early decades of the nineteenth century, disclosing the continuing industrial battles and Parliamentary struggles for supremacy in the emerging London engineering industry, culminating in the repeal of the journeymen’s key apprenticeship guild laws. The outcome, was the replacement of the medieval master and journeymen system, with its shared control of key features of the trade, by modern employer/employee relationships based an engineers’ economy of individualized terms and conditions. -
A History of Star Catalogues
A History of Star Catalogues © Rick Thurmond 2003 Abstract Throughout the history of astronomy there have been a large number of catalogues of stars. The different catalogues reflect different interests in the sky throughout history, as well as changes in technology. A star catalogue is a major undertaking, and likely needs strong justification as well as the latest instrumentation. In this paper I will describe a representative sample of star catalogues through history and try to explain the reasons for conducting them and the technology used. Along the way I explain some relevent terms in italicized sections. While the story of any one catalogue can be the subject of a whole book (and several are) it is interesting to survey the history and note the trends in star catalogues. 1 Contents Abstract 1 1. Origin of Star Names 4 2. Hipparchus 4 • Precession 4 3. Almagest 5 4. Ulugh Beg 6 5. Brahe and Kepler 8 6. Bayer 9 7. Hevelius 9 • Coordinate Systems 14 8. Flamsteed 15 • Mural Arc 17 9. Lacaille 18 10. Piazzi 18 11. Baily 19 12. Fundamental Catalogues 19 12.1. FK3-FK5 20 13. Berliner Durchmusterung 20 • Meridian Telescopes 21 13.1. Sudlich Durchmusterung 21 13.2. Cordoba Durchmusterung 22 13.3. Cape Photographic Durchmusterung 22 14. Carte du Ciel 23 2 15. Greenwich Catalogues 24 16. AGK 25 16.1. AGK3 26 17. Yale Bright Star Catalog 27 18. Preliminary General Catalogue 28 18.1. Albany Zone Catalogues 30 18.2. San Luis Catalogue 31 18.3. Albany Catalogue 33 19. Henry Draper Catalogue 33 19.1. -
Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc
Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. 7407 La Jolla Boulevard www.raremaps.com (858) 551-8500 La Jolla, CA 92037 [email protected] Les Etoiles Fixes Divisees En Constellations Boreales et Australes d'apres le Catalogue de Sir. Francis Baily, President de la Societe Astronomique de Londres . 1851 Stock#: 68868 Map Maker: Andriveau-Goujon Date: 1860 Place: Paris Color: Color Condition: VG Size: 19 x 25 inches Price: SOLD Description: Highly detailed double hemisphere chart of the northern and southern skies, showing the various constellations, as catalogued by Sir Francis Baily, along with a third chart showing the constellations on a monthly basis, in reverse order, from March to April. Sir Francis Baily was one of the leading English Astronomers of the first part of the 19th Century. After a tour in the unsettled parts of North America in 1796-1797, his journal of which was edited by Augustus de Morgan in 1856, he entered the London Stock Exchange in 1799. The successive publication of Tables for the Purchasing and Renewing of Leases (1802), of The Doctrine of Interest and Annuities (1808), and The Doctrine of Life-Annuities and Assurances (1810), earned him a high reputation as a writer on life- contingencies; he amassed a fortune through diligence and integrity and retired from business in 1825, to devote himself wholly to astronomy. He had already, in 1820, taken a leading part in the foundation of the Royal Astronomical Society. In 1827, the Society awarded him its Gold Medal for preparation of the Astronomical Society's Catalogue of 2881 stars. He was instrumental in the reform of the Nautical Almanac in 1829. -
The Rate and Direction of Invention in the British Industrial Revolution: Incentives and Institutions
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES THE RATE AND DIRECTION OF INVENTION IN THE BRITISH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: INCENTIVES AND INSTITUTIONS Ralf Meisenzahl Joel Mokyr Working Paper 16993 http://www.nber.org/papers/w16993 NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 April 2011 Prepared for the 50th anniversary conference in honor of The Rate and Direction of Inventive Activity, ed. Scott Stern and Joshua Lerner. The authors acknowledge financial support from the Kauffman Foundation and the superb research assistance of Alexandru Rus. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect views of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or those of the National Bureau of Economic Research. NBER working papers are circulated for discussion and comment purposes. They have not been peer- reviewed or been subject to the review by the NBER Board of Directors that accompanies official NBER publications. © 2011 by Ralf Meisenzahl and Joel Mokyr. All rights reserved. Short sections of text, not to exceed two paragraphs, may be quoted without explicit permission provided that full credit, including © notice, is given to the source. The Rate and Direction of Invention in the British Industrial Revolution: Incentives and Institutions Ralf Meisenzahl and Joel Mokyr NBER Working Paper No. 16993 April 2011 JEL No. N13,N73,O31,O34,O43 ABSTRACT During the Industrial Revolution technological progress and innovation became the main drivers of economic growth. But why was Britain the technological leader? We argue that one hitherto little recognized British advantage was the supply of highly skilled, mechanically able craftsmen who were able to adapt, implement, improve, and tweak new technologies and who provided the micro inventions necessary to make macro inventions highly productive and remunerative. -
An Analysis of the First Three Catalogues of Southern Star Clusters and Nebulae
ResearchOnline@JCU This file is part of the following reference: Cozens, Glendyn John (2008) An analysis of the first three catalogues of southern star clusters and nebulae. PhD thesis, James Cook University. Access to this file is available from: http://eprints.jcu.edu.au/24051/ The author has certified to JCU that they have made a reasonable effort to gain permission and acknowledge the owner of any third party copyright material included in this document. If you believe that this is not the case, please contact [email protected] and quote http://eprints.jcu.edu.au/24051/ Nicolas-Louis de La Caille, James Dunlop and John Herschel – An analysis of the First Three Catalogues of Southern Star Clusters and Nebulae Thesis submitted by Glendyn John COZENS BSc London, DipEd Adelaide in June 2008 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Information Technology James Cook University STATEMENT OF ACCESS I, the undersigned, author of this work, understand that James Cook University will make this thesis available for use within the University Library and, via the Australian Digital Theses network, for use elsewhere. I understand that, as an unpublished work, a thesis has significant protection under the Copyright Act and; I do not wish to place any further restriction on access to this work. ____________________ Signature Date ii STATEMENT OF SOURCES DECLARATION I declare that this thesis is my own work and has not been submitted in any form for another degree or diploma at any university or other institution of tertiary education. Information derived from the published or unpublished work of others has been acknowledged in the text and a list of references is given. -
Inventing the Professional Inventor During the Industrial Revolution∗
The Rise of the Engineer: Inventing the Professional Inventor During the Industrial Revolution∗ W. Walker Hanlon NYU Stern School of Business, NBER, CEPR July 1, 2021 Abstract Why was the Industrial Revolution successful at generating sustained economic growth? One explanation that has been put forward is that there was a fun- damental change in the way that new technology was developed during this period, yet current evidence for such a change remains largely anecdotal. This paper provides direct quantitative evidence showing that how innovation and design work was done changed fundamentally during the Industrial Revolution. This change was characterized by the professionalization of innovation and de- sign work through the emergence of the engineering profession. I document the emergence of this new type of worker, show the contribution that engineers made to technology development during the Industrial Revolution, and provide a theoretical framework for understanding how this change in the innovation system could have acted as a mechanism allowing the economy to transition from a slow \pre-modern" growth regime into more rapid \modern" economic growth. Keywords: Industrial Revolution, innovation, engineering, economic growth ∗I thank Brian Beach, Asaf Bernstein, James Feigenbaum, James Fenske, Michela Giorcelli, Daniel Gross, Philip Hoffman, Anton Howes, Morgan Kelly, David Mitch, Joel Mokyr, Petra Moser, Alessandro Nuvolari, Kevin O'Rourke, Santiago P´erez,Michael Peters, Sarah Quincy, Vasily Ru- sanov, Mike Waugh, Chenzi Xu, Ariell Zimran and seminar participants at NYU Stern, Northwestern and the Virtual Economic History Seminar for helpful comments. I am grateful to Sean Bottomley, Stephen Billington, Petra Moser, and Alessandro Nuvolari for their willingness to share data with me. -
Memoir of Augustus De Morgan
t^/rvoJi ■ ayr' e^M. • MEMOIE OF AUGUSTUS DE MOEGAN UV HIS WIFE SOPHIA ELIZABETH DE MORGAN WITH SELECTIONS FROM HIS LETTERS LONDON LONGMANS, GEEEN, AND CO. 1882 All rights reserved HARVARD COtlEfiE LIBRARY FE8241883 PKEFACE. I 5rBD hardly say that in the following pages I have not attempted a scientific memoir. My object has been to supply that part of my husband's life the material for which would not be within the reach of another biographer. The selection from his letters might have been much larger, if I could in all cases have inserted those of his correspondents. Without these many would have been incomprehensible. As it is, I may have over-estimated the attention which readers will be disposed to give to them. My rule in choosing the letters has been to take those which are moat characteristic of the writer, and in this way to give to readers already acquainted with him through his writings a more familiar knowledge of hiin as a man. His connection with University College, and the events which led to his leaviug it, are necessarily made promi nent. So long a time has elapsed since their occurrence, and I have known so little during that time of the Institu tion, that I cannot even surmise how the present Council would in like circumstances share the convictions or con- 6rm the action of its predecessors. After the lapse of sixteen vears I trust that the narrative will provoke no revival of the somewhat acrimonious controversy which ensued. It might perhaps have been in some ways VI PREFACE. -
Governing the Computers: the London Stock Exchange, the Institute of Actuaries and the First Digital Revolution (1808-1875)
Governing the Computers: The London Stock Exchange, the Institute of Actuaries and the First Digital Revolution (1808-1875) Marc Flandreau & Geoffroy Legentilhomme1 February 2019 Abstract: Our paper proposes an economic history of scientific knowledge, focusing on financial mathematics. We show how the traditional tools of institutional and industrial economics can help make sense of the dynamic of knowledge production. We look at the history of actuarial science in the 19th century, which played an important role in the history of capitalism, as it provided the tools to calculate the returns on heteroclite financial instruments, facilitating comparison, trading and in the end, the expansion of the capital market. We explain the development of actuarial science and of the profession of actuary in England as a product of the need to resolve information asymmetries and widespread computational anxieties which was read by contemporaries as a looming tragedy of the commons. This context gave birth to an institution, the Institute of Actuaries, which rapidly imposed itself as the sole provider of legitimate financial calculus. This was done by developing a dual program that involved the production of human “computers” that were equipped with “software” in the shape of algorithms to which use the computers were trained. The final outcome was what we call a “government of calculus”, in the shape of a monopoly over the production and distribution of financial knowledge. The success of the Institute and the economies of scale in knowledge production it could generate in virtue of its dominant position, eventually resulted in significant productivity gains in financial computing but also in imposing new standards such as an early statement of the rational expectations hypothesis.