The Computer History Museum

APA Citation:

The Computer History Museum. (2019, July 5). Mountain View, CA. Field experience.

Summary:  

The Computer History Museum in Mountain View is set up to inspire students (and teachers) to understand how computers were developed, and where we are going with them.  Our visit included six exhibitions from the earliest computers (which was developed with the aid of Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician and visionary) to examining the challenges faced with designing self driving  cars (and this idea has been around since the 1950s). 

Along with these exhibitions, there is a hands-on, learning lab where visitors explore problem-solving and designing software, taking apart and putting back together a computer, and see how computers are used to save lives.

Click here to find wonderful resources for classroom use.

Things Learned:

I am intrigued by the story of Ada Lovelace – not only was she involved with building the first mechanical computer in the early 19th century, she is also credited with writing the first algorithm to carry out operations beyond the calculations; the first programmer.

My Question:

This answered my question about mathematical thinking as the history of computers is all about logical thinking and finding patterns.  The Computer History Museum displayed what can be done when mathematical thinking is put into action.