It's Ada Lovelace day, and I've been unfocussed and lazy.
I made a pledge that I would blog about a woman in science today, but I've been lazy and haven't researched anyone. I have papers to write and projects to complete, so I'll keep it concise.
Today, I will remove what misconceptions I can about Ada Lovelace. This is primarily aimed at those who haven't read up on the Countess of Lovelace and founder of computer programming and code algorithms.
Misconception 0: "Ada Lovelace is Charles Babbage's Daughter."
I can't begin to describe how utterly wrong that statement is. Augusta Ada Byron is her given name. She did not learn about the analytical engine at her father's knee. and she did not marry Lord Byron for his title (eww). That I had a conversation with someone that necessitated this clarification is appalling, and the sexist tone was fairly clear.
Whether Ada considered the nobility of her later husband before marrying him isn't a terribly heavy point. I believe they were of similar caste. It wasn't controversial at the time, nor out of the ordinary to marry within the court. It wasn't an incestuous relationship.
Misconception 1: "Ada's brilliance with numbers and logic can be attributed to her father, Lord Byron, or to Charles Babbage"
This is also very false. Lord George Byron and Ada's mother, Annabella, separated while Ada was still fairly young. Ada's upbringing is more akin to that of an only child raised by a single mother, than it is to the "daddy's girl" image I've heard supposed. While Lord Byron-as a poet-may have contributed some genes related to abstract thought, her intense interest in the maths and sciences may well have been influenced by her mother's desire to distance her from her father. Ada developed great prowess in mathematics, in her own right, and was already well-established upon meeting her contemporary, Charles Babbage.
That's all the time I have for now. I hope you enjoyed this and learned something.
Today, I will remove what misconceptions I can about Ada Lovelace. This is primarily aimed at those who haven't read up on the Countess of Lovelace and founder of computer programming and code algorithms.
Misconception 0: "Ada Lovelace is Charles Babbage's Daughter."
I can't begin to describe how utterly wrong that statement is. Augusta Ada Byron is her given name. She did not learn about the analytical engine at her father's knee. and she did not marry Lord Byron for his title (eww). That I had a conversation with someone that necessitated this clarification is appalling, and the sexist tone was fairly clear.
Whether Ada considered the nobility of her later husband before marrying him isn't a terribly heavy point. I believe they were of similar caste. It wasn't controversial at the time, nor out of the ordinary to marry within the court. It wasn't an incestuous relationship.
Misconception 1: "Ada's brilliance with numbers and logic can be attributed to her father, Lord Byron, or to Charles Babbage"
This is also very false. Lord George Byron and Ada's mother, Annabella, separated while Ada was still fairly young. Ada's upbringing is more akin to that of an only child raised by a single mother, than it is to the "daddy's girl" image I've heard supposed. While Lord Byron-as a poet-may have contributed some genes related to abstract thought, her intense interest in the maths and sciences may well have been influenced by her mother's desire to distance her from her father. Ada developed great prowess in mathematics, in her own right, and was already well-established upon meeting her contemporary, Charles Babbage.
That's all the time I have for now. I hope you enjoyed this and learned something.