December 02, 2017 Saturday
Bedtime Story
Babbage the Polymath
As if politics was not enough, he then got
interested in machines, economy and manufacturing.
In 1832 he published yet another book (he
had already written and published three during his tenure at the Cambridge)
titled: On the Economy of Machines and Manufacturers.
This book is perhaps the first evidence
that Babbage was interested in machines.
In it as a prelude Babbage elaborately
defined and classified the known machines of that era.
This book is principally a discussion on a
sub branch of economics called operational research that seeks to study how to
maximize the output using the best combination of human resources and machines
available.
More generally, operational research seeks
to use mathematical analytical methods to make better decisions.
In it, Babbage also elaborated on the
division of labor that is now a common place and widely implemented idea.
Some even call this idea the “Babbage
Principle”.
It essentially amounts to segregating work
between skilled and unskilled workers so that skilled workers do not use their time
performing tasks that fall beneath their skill levels.
In short, he was extolling the virtues of
factory system involving mass production using division of labor.
It is clear that Babbage was talking about
capitalistic kind of payment to workers with higher skilled workers getting
heftier pay than their lower skilled counter parts.
This, according to Babbage, would transform
productivity manifold in the factory system.
Babbage, unlike Adam Smith, was very clear
that the motivation for the manufacturer to push for the factory system and
greater production was not the productivity itself but the profit that would
ensure from the novel method.
Karl Marx could agree no more.
Babbage was indeed a strange mathematician,
who was fascinated with machines.
He even invented a primitive ophthalmoscope
that he gifted to Thomas Jones, an eminent ophthalmologist who went on to
become Professor of Ophthalmic Medicine and Surgery at University College,
London in 1851.
Jones must have been a seriously nonchalant
and phlegmatic personality as after detailed examination of this new invention
he found it of no use and completely discarded it.
It was later independently reinvented by
the great von Helmholtz and only then did this new invention called
ophthalmoscope gain popularity.
Like Turing, Babbage too dabbled in
cryptography though obviously not as seriously as Turing did, since he was part
of the war effort team of Enigma code deciphering.
But what I really want to talk about
Babbage is his contribution to mechanical computers and which we shall take up
in the nights to come.
Stay tuned to the voice of an average story storytelling
chimpanzee or login at http://panarrans.blogspot.com
Good night mon ami and my fellow cousin ape.
Advertisements
Another great educator and a teacher that I am aware of is Professor
Subhashish Chattopadhyay in Bangalore, India.
While I narrate stories, Professor Subhashish an electronic
engineer and a former professor at BARC, does and teaches real mathematics and
physics.
He started the participation of Indian students at the
International Physics Olympiad.
Do visit him here:
All his books can be downloaded for free through this link:
For edutainment and English education of your children, I
recommend this large collection of Halloween Songs for Kids:
No comments:
Post a Comment