Able Quote by Charles Babbage
“On two occasions I have been asked, 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.”
About This Quote
Incorrect data input leads to unreliable outputs; the machine cannot correct fundamentally flawed information.
In simple terms: Wrong input yields wrong output.
Key Takeaway
Ensure data accuracy before processing.
Themes
accuracy
logic
technology
Mood
cautious
analytical
Type
technical
educational
When to use this quote
- data entry
- software testing
- quality control
Key Concepts
error propagation
computational limits
Questions to Reflect On
- What safeguards can prevent input errors?
- Do we trust machines blindly?
A Different Perspective
Machines cannot compensate for human error.
![“On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.” quote by Charles Babbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/714/charles-babbage-8461_computers_on-two-occasions-i-have-been-asked-by-me_2759081.jpg)
![“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)
