Babbage designed his difference engine to calculate and tabulate the value of seventh order polynomials to 31 decimal places. His intent was to eliminate the possibility of human error when calculating printed mathematical tables.
Photo credit: Jitze Couperus
Babbage's Difference Engine and other historic computers
by Bill Detwiler | May 26, 2010, 6:34am PDT | Image 2 of 24
Polynomial calculations
Polynomial calculations - Image 2 of 24
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About Bill Detwiler
Bill Detwiler is Head Technology Editor of TechRepublic. Previously, he worked as a Support Tech and IT Manager in the social research and energy industries.
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