COM149
| Campus | Jordanstown |
| Tutor | Mrs Karen Fraser |
| Semester | 1 |
| Description | This module will introduce the technical concepts that underpin web authoring. Understanding of these concepts will be reinforced via tutorial sessions. Application of these technical concepts are facilitated through the use of web authoring tools in practical sessions |
| Coursework | 40% |
| Exam | 60% |
| Level | 1 |
Ada Byron King
Born - 10th December 1815, London
Died - 27 November 1852, Marylebone, London
Daughter of illustrious poet Lord Byron, Ada, after just five weeks after her birth was granted to her mother after a separation from Lord Byron. Having sole custody of Ada, Lady Byron raised her to become a mathematician and a scientist, after fears that Ada may follow in her father's footsteps and become a poet.
In her early years, Ada would frequently grow ill, experiencing headaches, and temporary vision loss. It was in 1829, that Ada was paralyzed after having the measels. This did not hinder Ada in continuing her acedemic studies in any way, and in just 3 years, Ada was able to walk again with the help of crutches.
Even through her mother's attempts to redirect Adas' interests away from poetry, Ada never abandoned her poetry roots. In her 30's Ada wrote a letter to her mother asking ‘if you can't give me poetry, can't you give me "poetical science?" Although Lady Byron had specific intentions for her daughter, Ada wished to be thought as "an analyst and a metaphysician".
When Ada was 17 she was introduced to Mary Somerville, a Scotish Science Writer, who was most famous for translating the works of Pierre-Simon Laplace, a French mathematician and astronomer. Laplace once told Somerville, that there are only three women who could ever understand him, and she would be amoungst them.
It was at Somerville's Dinner party in November, 1834 that Ada was first introduced to Charles Babbage, and English Mathematician, and inventor, who at the time was coming to grasps with an idea of a new calculating engine, 'the Analytical Engine'. While few others took little interest in Babbage's ideas, his views that a machine which could not only foresee but act on that foresight was inspirational to Ada who at that time was described to have been touched by the 'Universality of his ideas'.
In 1835, Ada married William King, and also gain the honourable title, "Countess of Lovelace". Together, they had three children, Byron, Anne Isabella, and Ralph Gordon. It was after the birth of Ralph, that Ada allegidly suffered from an illness, which took her months to recover from.
Ada began to grow interest for Charles' machine, and offered her assistance in the translation of his coding. Ada and Charles met on numerous occasions to discuss his theories and ideas. It was Babbage who told Ada that she was one of the few people who fully understood his ideas. After seeing Ada's abilities and numerousy skills, Babbage named her " The Enchantress of Numbers".
As time progressed, Ada began to predict that this machine could have capabilities beyond its years, with the possibility that it could be used to produce graphics, music and even scientific equations.
She began to predict that this machine could, in time, be used to calculate Bernoullio Numbers. These are a mathmatical sequences, which are rational numbers, that have deep connections with mathematical theory. Ada's predictions where truely beyond her time.
Ada died from uterine cancer on 27th November 1852 at the age of 36, on 27 November 1852. She left behind her a daughter and two sons. She was buried in Hucknall, Nottingham next to the father she never knew.
Lovelace's notes on Babbage's Analytical Engine were republished after being forgotten for over one hundred years after her death. The engine has now been recognized as an early model for a computer and Lovelace's notes as a description of a computer and software.