DREAMING in CODE: Ada Byron Lovelace, Computer Pioneer written by Emily Arnold McCully is a well-researched biography for serious middle grade readers interested in the life of a girl who showed superior talent in the area of mathematics.
Born in 1815 Ada never knew her father, Romantic poet Lord Byron. Her mother left him when she was but one month old. Lady Byron was a demanding mother and determined to stamp out any behavior Ada may have inherited from her father. She moved back to London and engaged a team of tutors to educate Ada. “The Furies” as Ada called them were rigid, controlling and strict. Although Ada suffered migraines and stomach problems throughout girlhood, she got through it with her own imagination intact.
After Ada was presented to London society she had an opportunity to meet the Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge University, Charles Babbage. Their intellectual relationship grew and eventually led her to make a leap in thought and declare numbers were more than numbers---they were symbols. She went on to predict modern day computing operations such as looping and selection.
The author must be applauded for her clear and engaging telling of Ada’s story as well as her superb research. The back materials contain an Appendix A. where there is a summary of Ada’s famous notes found in her translation of “Sketch of the Analytical Engine Invented by Charles Babbage” written by L.F. Menabrea, Source Notes pertaining to the 17 Chapters, an extensive Glossary, a Bibliography and Image Credits.
Dreaming in Code: Ada Byron Lovelace, Computer Pioneer written by Emily Arnold McCully traces Ada’s contributions and her astonishing capacity for ideas as well as her both happy and sad life experiences. It is designed for students 12-14 years of age (Candlewick Press, 2019).
Questions for Dreaming in Code: Ada Byron Lovelace, Computer Pioneer.
How does Ada’s quote at the end of the Introduction to this book suggest how important imaginative thinking was to her? Trace her leaps of thinking especially in her famous notes as summarized in Appendix A, Note G. Is imaginative thinking important to you? Why?
When Ada asked Charles Babbage for the name of a math tutor with whom she could continue to study he put her in touch with Mary Fairfax Somerville. She was a well-respected mathematician, translator and writer. How was this a fortunate introduction for Ada? What did she learn from Somerville? (Re-read Chapters 8, 9 and 10). Why is it important to have a role model? Do you have a role model?
Take a look at what is described as punch cards that would have allowed Babbage’s Analytical Engine to perform almost any calculation on page 74. What is your emotional and/or intellectual reaction to this illustration? Can you give it a caption?
