Editing Analytical engine (section)

== In popular culture ==
* The [[cyberpunk]] novelists [[William Gibson]] and [[Bruce Sterling]] co-authored a [[steampunk]] novel of [[Alternate history (fiction)|alternative history]] titled ''[[The Difference Engine]]'' in which Babbage's difference and analytical engines became available to Victorian society. The novel explores the consequences and implications of the early introduction of computational technology.
* ''Moriarty by Modem'', a short story by Jack Nimersheim, describes an alternative history where Babbage's analytical engine was indeed completed and had been deemed highly classified by the British government. The characters of [[Sherlock Holmes]] and [[Professor Moriarty|Moriarty]] had in reality been a set of prototype programs written for the analytical engine. This short story follows Holmes as his program is implemented on modern computers and he is forced to compete against his nemesis yet again in the modern counterparts of Babbage's analytical engine.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nimersheim |first=Jack |chapter=Moriarty by Modem |year=1995 |chapter-url=https://www.cheznims.com/moriarty.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030620005623/http://www.cheznims.com/moriarty.htm |archive-date=2003-06-20 |editor-last1=Greenberg |editor-first1=Martin |editor-last2=Resnick |editor-first2=Mike |display-editors=0 |title=Sherlock Holmes in Orbit |publisher=[[DAW Books]] |pages=287–302 |isbn=9780886776367 |access-date=2023-11-11}}</ref>
* A similar setting to ''The Difference Engine'' is used by [[Sydney Padua]] in the webcomic ''[[The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2dgoggles.com/ |title=Dangerous experiments in comics |publisher=2D Goggles |access-date=1 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=58111 |title=Experiments in Comics with Sydney Padua |publisher=Tor.com |date=26 October 2009 |access-date=1 August 2012}}</ref> It features an [[alternative history]] where Ada Lovelace and Babbage have built the analytical engine and use it to fight crime at [[Queen Victoria]]'s request.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sydneypadua.com/2dgoggles/category/the-client/ |title=The Client &#124; 2D Goggles |date=21 August 2009 |publisher=Sydneypadua.com |access-date=1 August 2012}}</ref> The comic is based on thorough research on the biographies of and correspondence between Babbage and Lovelace, which is then twisted for humorous effect.
* The [[Orion's Arm]] online project features the ''Machina Babbagenseii'', fully sentient Babbage-inspired mechanical computers. Each is the size of a large asteroid, only capable of surviving in microgravity conditions, and processes data at 0.5% the speed of a human brain.<ref>{{cite web |title=Machina Babbagenseii |url=https://www.orionsarm.com/eg-article/47f1ab093f416 |publisher=[[Orion's Arm]] |year=2014 |access-date=7 May 2016}}</ref>
* Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace appear in an episode of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', "[[Spyfall Part 2]]", where the engine is displayed and referenced.