nPostednon June 19, 2014
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nYournwhole world is surrounded by computers. Not only are there computersnon your desk, they’re also in your phone, your microwave oven, yournTV, your car, your camera, your almost-everything that has a plug orna battery!
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Today’snbirthday boy (born in France on this date in 1623) is part of thenhistory of computing, so we can thank him heartily today. Pascal wasna mathematician who invented one of the first mechanical addingnmachines, in 1642, so that he could simplify all the arithmetic henhad to do while helping his father in his career as supervisor ofntaxes in Rouen, France.
Today’snbirthday boy (born in France on this date in 1623) is part of thenhistory of computing, so we can thank him heartily today. Pascal wasna mathematician who invented one of the first mechanical addingnmachines, in 1642, so that he could simplify all the arithmetic henhad to do while helping his father in his career as supervisor ofntaxes in Rouen, France.n
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nPascalnhas always gotten the credit for being the inventor of the mechanicalncalculators, but a few historians have wanted to give that credit tonWilhelm Schickard instead. About twenty years before Pascal’sninvention (and totally independent of the latter invention),nSchickard had written about a calculator he had created. He includednsome drawings. If you try to replicate Schickard’s invention from thendescription and the drawings, however, you do not come up with ancalculator that works. So he either bragged about something he hadn’tnactually completed or perfected, or he was sloppy with his drawingsnand description. Either way, Pascal still gets the credit. Sloppynwork cannot be copied and expanded on, so it isn’t a jumping-offnplace; instead, it’s a stopping place. n
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nSciencenand technology are all about creating jumping-off places!
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| Pascal’s adding machine. |
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nPascalncreated 50 prototypes of his adding machine, which he callednPascalines, until he was finally satisfied that he could announce hisninvention to the public. He built 21 of the machines, occasionallynmaking improvements on the design. Nine of these machines havensurvived until this day and are on display in European museums. n
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nBynthe way, in 1972, computer scientist Nicklaus Wirth invented a newncomputer language, and he named it Pascal to honor our birthday boy.nI should also note that Pascal made other significant contributionsnto mathematics and science and even philosophy and theology!
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Pascalnis considered a child prodigy and a polymath. In other words, he wasnvery, very smart!
Pascalnis considered a child prodigy and a polymath. In other words, he wasnvery, very smart!n
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nFindn out how an abacus works.
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nFind out more about the history of calculators.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nWorld Sauntering Day
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nGarfieldnthe Cat Day
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nJuneteenth
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nBaseballnplayer Lou Gehrig’s birthday
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nAnniversarynof the opening of the first movie theater
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nDump the Pump Day
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nJunen holidays
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nJunen birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in June
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nJulyn holidays
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nJulyn birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in July
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