Curriculum Links
Maths (number, calculation)
History (technology)
Key Stage 3
Suitable for Year 7
Length of session
75-90 minutes
Maximum group size
24 students
In this session students will:
Explore the Museum’s collection of mathematical instruments
Be inspired by hands-on activities with historical calculators
Discover the story of Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace
This workshop will inspire students who may be less confident with maths through hands-on activities with the Museum’s amazing collection of calculating instruments, reinforcing concepts about number and calculation including place value, addition, subtraction and multiplication.
We start with a trail to find and explore instruments in the Museum's collection.
This is followed by hands-on activities and calculations using abacuses, Napier's bones, and 1950s Lightning Adding Machines.
We also introduce 19th-century mathematicians Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace and learn about their extraordinary attempt to build the Analytical Engine - the world's first full-scale mechanical computer.
A small part of Charles Babbage's first prototype mechanical computer - the Difference Engine - is on display in the Museum.
