![]() Mueller's attempt to raise funds fails and the project is forgotten. That's a special purpose calculator for tabulating values of a polynomial, given the differences between certain values so that the polynomial is uniquely specified it's useful for any function that can be approximated by a polynomial over suitable intervals. Mueller, of the Hessian army, conceives the idea of what came to be called a "difference engine". Mathieus Hahn, somewhere in what will be Germany, also makes a successful multiplying calculator that he started in 1770. Leibniz was also the co-inventor of calculus.Ĭharles, the third Earl Stanhope, of England, makes a successful multiplying calculator similar to Leibniz's. The machine was later lost in an attic until 1879. It can multiple number of up to 5 and 12 digits to give a 16 digit operand. German mathematician, Gottfried Leibniz designed a machine to carry out multiplication, the 'Stepped Reckoner'. Instead of a carry mechanism, it registers carries on auxiliary dials, from which the user must re-enter them as addends. Sir Samuel Morland (1625-1695), of England, produces a non decimal adding machine, suitable for use with English money. ![]() He was able to sell around a dozen of his machines in various forms, coping with up to 8 digits. Despite being more limited than Schickard's 'Calculating Clock' (see 1623), Pascal's machine became far more well known. William Oughtred (1575-1660) invented the slide rule.įrench mathematician, Blaise Pascal built a mechanical adding machine (the "Pascaline"). Schickard was a friend of the astronomer Johannes Kepler since they met in the winter of 1617. The machine and plans were lost and forgotten in the war that was going on, then rediscovered in 1935, only to be lost in war again, and then finally rediscovered in 1956 by the same man (Franz Hammer)! The machine was reconstructed in 1960, and found to be workable. Operations were carried out by wheels, and a complete revolution of the units wheel incremented the tens wheel in much the same way counters on old cassette deck worked. This mechanical machine was capable of adding and subtracting up to 6 digit numbers, and warned of an overflow by ringing a bell. Wilhelm Schickard (1592-1635), of Tuebingen, Wuerttemberg (now in Germany), made a "Calculating Clock". These allowed the operator to multiply, divide and calculate square and calculate cube roots by moving the rods around and placing them in specially constructed boards. Napier also invented an ingenious system of moveable rods (referred to as Napier's Rods or Napier's bones). Scotsman John Napier (1550-1617) published a paper outlining his discovery of the logarithm. The abacus in the form we are most familiar with was first used in China in around 1300 A.D. The abacus was first used by the Babylonians as an aid to simple arithmetic at sometime around this date. The article published below is part of a complete article from Stephen White A Brief History of Computing -Complete Timeline
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