January 29, 2018 Monday
Bedtime Story
Note C of Ada Lovelace
We are continuing with the treatise of
Menabrea:
“Sketch of the Analytical Engine” that was
translated into French by Ada Lovelace and published along with her notes in
1842.
At this time he is describing the punched
cards automation system that was deployed in Jacquard loom.
“Supposing this process is successively repeated
according to a law indicated by the pattern to be executed, we perceive that
this pattern may be reproduced on the stuff.
For this purpose we need merely compose a
series of cards according to the law required, and arrange them in suitable
order one after the other; then, by causing them to pass over a polygonal beam
which is so connected as to turn a new face for every stroke of the shuttle,
which face shall then be impelled parallely to itself across the bundle of
lever-arms, the operation of raising the threads will be regularly performed.
Thus we see that brocaded tissues may be
manufactured with a precision and rapidity formerly difficult to obtain.”
This beautiful exposition on Jacquard’s
automation was supplemented by that of Ada Lovelace in her Note C which is
worth going through immediately rather than later on sequentially as we may
lose the thread by then.
Note C written by Ada Lovelace
“Those who may desire to study the
principles of the Jacquard-loom in the most effectual manner, viz. that of
practical observation, have only to step into the Adelaide Gallery or the
Polytechnic Institution.
In each of these valuable repositories of
scientific illustration, a weaver is constantly working at a Jacquard-loom, and
is ready to give any information that may be desired as to the construction and
modes of acting of his apparatus.”
(I am not sure if the tradition continues
till this day though it may be possible that such displays still go on knowing
how much Europeans are seeped into history and what passion that have for
museums – Storytelling Chimpanzee).
“The volume on the manufacture of silk, in
Larder’s Cyclopaedia, contains a chapter on the Jacquard-loom, which may also
be consulted with advantage.
The mode of application of the cards, as
hitherto used in the art of weaving, was not found, however, to be sufficiently
powerful for all the simplifications which it was desirable to attain in such
varied and complicated processes as those required in order to fulfill the
purposes of an Analytical Engine.
A method was devised of what was
technically designated backing the cards in certain groups according to certain
laws.
The object of this extension is to secure
the possibility of bringing any particular card or set of cards into use any
number of times successively in the solution of one problem.
Whether this power shall be taken advantage
of or not, in each particular instance, will depend on the nature of operations
which the problem under consideration may require.”
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.
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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:
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