1836: I Became a Literary Giant in Great Britain

Chapter 106 Professor Lucas of Cambridge University

"Babbage's Asylum?"

"Yes, the owner of this house is Professor Charles Babbage."

Finch shook his head.

"A true genius, but also a complete madman."

"I heard he is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, a man of great talent and a promising future."

"But instead of focusing on his teaching job, he insisted on coming to London and spending all his money to create this bizarre tin monster."

Finch pointed at the building and pursed his lips.

"I heard he's going to build a machine that can think, an analytical machine that can replace the human brain in performing complex calculations."

"Listen to this, isn't this utter nonsense?"

"This is God's domain..."

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"He spent all the government funding, all his savings, and is now heavily in debt."

"Now, the money is finally gone, and he has no choice but to sell this 'temple' in his eyes to pay off his debts."

A mathematics professor at Cambridge?

A machine that can think?

The combination of these words made Michelle's heart skip a beat.

A name popped into his mind.

Charles Babbage, hailed by later generations as the "father of the computer"!

Professor Babbage comes from a wealthy London banking family.

He graduated from Cambridge University, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society at the age of 24, and became the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University!

He can be described as a genius!

It's worth noting that the Lucasian Professorship of Mathematics at Cambridge University is the most prestigious professorship in the UK.

The chair was founded by Henry Lucas in 1663 and officially established in 1664 with the approval of Charles II.

It is the third oldest mathematics professorship in the UK, and only one person is awarded it at a time.

Isaac Newton, the founder of classical mechanics, and Paul Dirac, the founder of quantum mechanics, both held this teaching position!

Yes, and that Mr. Hawking also served as...

This demonstrates its high value.

Unfortunately, Babbage squandered this excellent hand.

At that time, mathematical and astronomical tables were calculated manually, which often resulted in numerous errors.

So he wanted to design a machine that could replace human calculations, using precision gears and levers instead of manual calculations.

Babbage's first target was the Difference Engine, a machine specifically designed to automatically calculate mathematical tables.

This machine operates entirely on gears and levers.

Enter the initial numbers, turn the handle, and the machine will automatically calculate and print out the result directly, without requiring anyone to write anything.

In the 1820s, this was nothing short of a magical miracle!

At first, everything went smoothly.

Babbage built a prototype, and it actually worked, which shocked the whole of Britain.

The British government's grant to support his research marks the first time in human history that money has been invested in a "computer project."

But a problem arose: the precision requirements for the parts were too high, and the factory couldn't produce them at the time.

So Babbage kept redesigning it, and the result was that it became more and more complicated.

The money quickly ran out, and the government didn't want to invest any more. He invested his savings, ultimately losing everything, but still couldn't complete the project...

This forward-thinking design was ultimately never completed.

In 1991, his descendants built one using early 19th-century technology, based on his blueprints, and it actually worked.

It's truly a pity.

Thinking of this, Michelle's breathing became a little rapid.

He stopped looking at the shop next to him that had "huge future potential".

All attention was drawn to the "madhouse" next door.

Just then, a loud argument came from the metal door next door.

"Babbage! You old liar! Come out here!"

"Don't think you're safe hiding inside. If we don't get our money today, we'll tear down all your junk!"

Several men wearing coarse cloth vests and with fierce faces were punching and kicking the gate.

Profanities echoed through the streets.

Michelle couldn't help but frown.

He watched as the debt collectors cursed and swore for a while before spitting on the ground and walking away.

Michelle started walking towards the building.

"Mr. LeBron! Where are you going?"

Finch was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet.

"There's nothing to see there, just a pile of scrap metal!"

Michel ignored Finch and walked straight to the metal door.

The door wasn't locked; it was just ajar.

He reached out and pushed hard.

With a screeching sound of metal scraping against metal, the door opened.

Michelle walked into this so-called "asylum".

The interior space of the building is extremely spacious.

The lighting here is excellent, with sunlight streaming in through the skylight high up.

It also illuminated the chaos on the ground.

Countless drawings filled with intricate lines were carelessly discarded on the ground.

Some of them were covered in dark oil stains.

All sorts of gears, cams, and connecting rods were piled up high.

Michelle carefully navigated around the obstacles and headed towards the factory buildings deep inside the complex.

In the center of the factory, he saw a colossal object that took his breath away.

Beneath the beams of light streaming through the skylight lies a forest of brass, steel, and gears.

Countless gears of varying sizes meshed together precisely, and drive shafts and connecting rods intertwined to form an incredible mechanical creation.

It is more than two people tall, with an extremely complex structure, with layers of gears intertwined, gleaming with a cold metallic luster in the sunlight.

Countless design drawings were scattered around the machine, some laid out on the worktable, others simply thrown on the ground, covered with dense symbols and formulas.

Overall, it presents an extremely pure mechanical aesthetic.

Steam is incense, gears are scriptures; of all things in the world, only machines are eternal.

Amazing, machine god!

If mechanical enthusiasts of later generations saw this machine, they would probably be ecstatic.

Michelle knew that this was the prototype of the Analytical Engine.

Yes, Babbage was halfway through building the Difference Engine when he suddenly had a brilliant idea.

I don't just want a machine that can solve specific problems; I want a machine that can solve anything!

So he designed the Analytical Engine.

You could say that the Analytical Engine is the ancestor of modern computers, only it was made of gears.

It even contains all the core components of today's computers.

There are corresponding parts for memory, processor, graphics module, and printing module.

If successful, this will be a mechanical version of a computer.

Unfortunately, such an overly ambitious plan was destined to fail, and even dragged Babbage into a quagmire of debt...

In the shadow of this steel monster sat a middle-aged man with hair as messy as a bird's nest.

He was wearing a white shirt stained with oil, with the cuffs rolled up high.

He was holding a wrench in his hand, repeatedly adjusting a part.

His eyes were empty and weary, as if his soul had been drained by the machine.

"Professor Babbage?"

Michelle tentatively called out.

The man slowly raised his head.

There was a black oil stain on his face.

"Who are you?"

Babbage's voice was terribly hoarse.

"Are they here to collect debts again?"

He chuckled self-deprecatingly and put down the wrench.

"Go over there and get a gear to sit on, anyway, I don't have much else to give you."

Michelle took a few steps closer.

Looking at the magnificent prototype of the analysis engine, he felt an indescribable surge of emotions.

If this machine can be completed, the course of human history may be completely rewritten.

"I'm not here to collect debts."

Michelle looked into his eyes.

"I'm here to buy this house, and by the way, I'd like to take a look at your equipment."

Babbage paused for a moment.

He looked at Michelle, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Want to see my machine?"

"Aside from those idiots who want to sell it as scrap metal, it's been a long time since anyone has said they wanted to see it."

He stood up and dusted off his pants.

"As you can see, it's just an expensive decoration now."

"The British government withdrew its investment, and I went bankrupt."

Michelle's gaze swept across the machine.

He noticed a relatively independent module on the side of the machine.

It was a row of neat metal movable type, connected to a complex transmission device.

"What is that for?"

Michelle pointed to that module.

Babbage looked in the direction he was pointing.

"That's the automatic printing module."

"I hope that after the machine calculates the results, it can directly print the data on paper to avoid errors in manual recording."

Print module?

A sudden inspiration flashed through Michelle's mind.

In an era before typewriters existed, Babbage had already figured out the principles of automatic typesetting and printing.

A bold idea quickly took shape in his mind.

When my hands ached from writing books, I longed for a typewriter so much!

Now, the opportunity has arrived, hasn't it?

"Professor, have you considered using these parts for something else?"

Michelle turned her head, her tone suggestive.

Babbage frowned.

"Anything else? What else is worth my time?"

Michelle smiled.

He pulled a check out of his pocket and waved it in front of Babbage.

"For example, earn enough money to completely finish this machine..."

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