Question

1 charles babbage
2
3 1. time period:
4 1791-1871
5 2. what did the term computer mean?
6
7 3. main contribution:
8
9 ******************************
10
11 ada lovelace
12
13 1. time period:
14
15 2. what did the term computer mean?
16
17 3. main contribution:
18
19 ******************************
20
21 alan turing:
22
23 1. time period:
24
25 2. what did the term computer mean?
26
27 3. main contribution:
28

Explanation:

For Charles Babbage:

• Time Period: 1791 - 1871 (he was a British mathematician, philosopher, inventor, and mechanical engineer who lived during this time).
• What did the term 'computer' mean? During his time, a "computer" referred to a person, usually a woman, who performed mathematical calculations manually (often for scientific or engineering purposes).
• Main contribution: He is known as the "father of the computer" for inventing the first mechanical computer, the Difference Engine, and later the Analytical Engine, which laid the groundwork for modern computing.

For Ada Lovelace:

• Time Period: 1815 - 1852 (she was an English mathematician and writer, a contemporary of Babbage).
• What did the term 'computer' mean? Same as during Babbage's time, a person (often female) doing manual calculations.
• Main contribution: She is credited with writing the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine (Babbage's Analytical Engine), making her the world's first computer programmer.

For Alan Turing:

• Time Period: 1912 - 1954 (he was a British mathematician, logician, and cryptanalyst).
• What did the term 'computer' mean? By his time, the term was starting to shift towards referring to machines, but still, human "computers" (people doing calculations) existed. However, Turing was more involved with the development of computing machines.
• Main contribution: He was a key figure in breaking the German Enigma code during World War II, and he also proposed the Turing machine, a theoretical model for computation, and made fundamental contributions to the concept of artificial intelligence (the Turing test).

Answer:

Charles Babbage

1. Time Period: 1791 - 1871
2. What did the term 'computer' mean? A person (often female) who performed mathematical calculations manually.
3. Main contribution: Invented the Difference Engine and Analytical Engine, laying the foundation for modern computing.

Ada Lovelace

1. Time Period: 1815 - 1852
2. What did the term 'computer' mean? A person (often female) who performed mathematical calculations manually.
3. Main contribution: Wrote the first algorithm for Babbage’s Analytical Engine, becoming the first computer programmer.

Alan Turing

1. Time Period: 1912 - 1954
2. What did the term 'computer' mean? Transitioning from human calculators to machines (though human “computers” still existed); Turing focused on computing machines.
3. Main contribution: Broke the Enigma code, proposed the Turing machine (computation model), and contributed to artificial intelligence (Turing test).