Ada Lovelace

Chronicled events

1. 1843​·​Lovelace Sees Beyond Numbers
   #5867

   The Analytical Engine needn’t stop at numbers. It works on symbols by rules, and symbols can stand for anything whose relations can be put into rules, like the notes of music. So it could compose music, or work in any field whose rules we can write down.

   #5869

   The Analytical Engine can’t originate anything. It can do whatever we know how to order it to perform, and follow our reasoning, but it can’t anticipate any truths we haven’t worked out ourselves.