Which mathematician mentored Ada Lovelace and introduced her to Babbage?

Mary Somerville mentored Ada Lovelace and introduced her to Charles Babbage. Somerville was a Scottish mathematician, scientist, and science writer who became a close friend of Ada’s mother, Anne Isabella Milbanke. She helped guide Ada’s mathematical education and encouraged her interest in scientific study.

In June 1833, Somerville brought Ada to one of Charles Babbage’s gatherings, where Ada first met the inventor and mathematician. Babbage later showed her a prototype of his Difference Engine, and she became fascinated by his plans for the more ambitious Analytical Engine.

Somerville’s role is sometimes confused with that of Augustus De Morgan, who provided Ada with advanced mathematical instruction in the 1840s. De Morgan helped develop her formal studies, but Somerville was the mentor and social connection who introduced Ada to Babbage. That meeting led to the collaboration for which Lovelace is remembered in computing history.