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Along with Babbage and others, she made notes for programming the proposed computer, and she became famous in the modern era for her description of the "classic recurrence relation for computing Bernoulli numbers"<ref>

Along with Babbage and others, she made notes for programming the proposed computer, and she became famous in the modern era for her description of the "classic recurrence relation for computing Bernoulli numbers"<ref>

[http://www.cs.fit.edu/~ryan/ada/lovelace.html Augusta Ada Byron (1815-1852)] - Ryan Stansifer, Associate Professor - Department of Computer Sciences - Florida Institute of Technology</ref>

[http://www.cs.fit.edu/~ryan/ada/lovelace.html Augusta Ada Byron (1815-1852)] - Ryan Stansifer, Associate Professor - Department of Computer Sciences - Florida Institute of Technology</ref> used by [[Jakob Bernoulli]]. On this basis, feminists eager to promote [[women in science]] decided to dub her "the first computer programmer".<ref name="sciam">[http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Ada_and_the_First_Computer.pdf Scientific American, May 1999, pp76]</ref><ref>http://cs-www.cs.yale.edu/homes/tap/Files/ada-bio.html</ref><ref>http://www.cs.fit.edu/~ryan/ada/lovelace.html</ref>.  This claim arises from the fact that she was first to publish a paper (in 1843) containing a mathematical algorithm ''encoded for the purpose of being executed by an automatically controlled digital computer''.  Her program calculated [[Bernoulli numbers]].  That is, she wrote the first published, surviving computer program designed to solve a real problem.

used by [[Jakob Bernoulli]]. On this basis, feminists eager to promote [[women in science]] decided to dub her "the first computer programmer".<ref name="sciam">[http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Ada_and_the_First_Computer.pdf Scientific American, May 1999, pp76]</ref><ref>http://cs-www.cs.yale.edu/homes/tap/Files/ada-bio.html</ref><ref>http://www.cs.fit.edu/~ryan/ada/lovelace.html</ref>.  This claim arises from the fact that she was first to publish a paper (in 1843) containing a mathematical algorithm ''encoded for the purpose of being executed by an automatically controlled digital computer''.  Her program calculated [[Bernoulli numbers]].  That is, she wrote the first published, surviving computer program designed to solve a real problem.

But the issue is not clear-cut, because there are different opinions about what constitutes a "program" and what constitutes a "computer".  Perhaps the main objection is that the computer for which her program was written was never built, so her program did not actually run.  Ada had to write the algorithm on paper, rather than at a keypunch or computer terminal, of course.  But, to use modern terminology, she actually "wrote code".  Also, since the term "program" had not been coined, she described her algorithm as a "plan".  In the 20th century, the program was carefully analyzed and simulated, and found to have a minor "bug".

But the issue is not clear-cut, because there are different opinions about what constitutes a "program" and what constitutes a "computer".  Perhaps the main objection is that the computer for which her program was written was never built, so her program did not actually run.  Ada had to write the algorithm on paper, rather than at a keypunch or computer terminal, of course.  But, to use modern terminology, she actually "wrote code".  Also, since the term "program" had not been coined, she described her algorithm as a "plan".  In the 20th century, the program was carefully analyzed and simulated, and found to have a minor "bug".