The Difference Engine

A mechanical calculator designed by Charles Babbage in the 1800s to compute polynomial functions using the method of differences.

info @ street66.com

Initial Values

First Differences

Second Differences

Computing: x² + x + 1

How It Works

The Difference Engine uses the mathematical principle that the differences between consecutive values of a polynomial eventually become constant.

For a quadratic equation (degree 2), the second differences are constant. For a cubic equation (degree 3), the third differences would be constant.

By starting with initial values and repeatedly adding these differences, the engine can compute successive values of the polynomial.