Calculations Quote by Charles Babbage
“I wish to God these calculations had been executed by steam,”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Lecture on Analytical Engine, 1840
The speaker laments that mechanical computation could have been powered by steam, implying faster, more efficient processing.
In simple terms: Wishes steam could power calculations.
Key Takeaway
Consider improving computational efficiency.
Themes
technology
efficiency
history of computing
Mood
reflective
historical
Type
technical
reflective
When to use this quote
- industrial revolution
- early computing design
- energy sources for machines
Key Concepts
mechanical engineering
computational theory
Questions to Reflect On
- How would steam power change early computing?
- What alternatives existed then?
A Different Perspective
Steam power was limited and impractical for precise calculations.
![“Science in England is not a profession: its cultivators are scarcely recognised even as a class. Our language itself contains no single term by which their occupation can be expressed. We borrow a foreign word [Savant] from another country whose high ambition it is to advance science, and whose…” quote by Charles Babbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b12/charles-babbage-8461_accord_science-in-england-is-not-a-profession-i_256777.jpg)
