When Babbage was working at Cambridge, a new idea occurred to him. He wanted to construct a calculating machine to work out the solutions（解法）to maths problems not only with correctness but also with a speed beyond the power of any human mind. His machine could solve problems involving（涉及）long rows of figures in one continuous operation（运算）.
In 1822 Babbage exhibited his invention and won a prize from the government. After that, he immediately started to work on a larger machine designed to solve more difficult problems. Although he received some money left by his father, the money was not enough to support his design. He wrote to the government about his plan and was given ￡2500 to start with, a sum worth much more in those days than it is now.
Babbage continued his work in London for four years. Then his health broke down, and he had to take a long holiday abroad. When he returned to London in 1828, he was at the end of his resources. Many bills remained unpaid. His chief assistant and co-workers quarreled with him and left with many expensive tools. For one year no work was done. During this period, Babbage, whose mind was always active, suddenly thought of a completely new idea for the machine. He rushed to meet the government officials to explain his new idea. But this time, they were unwilling to help him. For eight years, they refused to say whether they wanted the machine or not, and their final answer was “No.”
From 1828 to 1839, Babbage held the position of professor at Cambridge very successfully. But his greatest work was the unfinished calculating machine which stood covered in dust in his house. It was the beginning of the modern computer.

当Babbage在剑桥工作时，他想到了一个新的主意。他想要建造一台计算机去解决数学难题。它不仅有极高的正确率，而且有比任何人类都快的计算速度。它可以连续运算，以解决涉及一长串数列的复杂问题。
1822年，Babbage通过展示他的发明，得到了政府颁发给他的一笔奖金。得到了奖金以后，他立刻继续工作，去有计划的建造另一台更大的机器，以解决更困难的问题。虽然他也从他爸爸继承了一些遗产，但对支撑他的庞大计划来说，那些钱还远远不够。于是他写信给政府。信中写明了他的计划，并写出他需要2500美金去制造机器。那时候，2500美金可是一大比钱，比现在的2500美金多太多了。
Babbage继续在伦敦工作了4年，他的身体终于跨掉了。他必须去国外长时间修养。1828年他回到伦敦时，他的钱已经快要花完了，而且还有很多帐单没有付完。他的第一助手与其他工人们纷纷与他吵架并带着一大堆昂贵的器械离开了他，以致后来的一年里他都没有成果。但在这段时期里，Babbage，他的思路却很活跃。突然，在关于这个机器的问题上他有了全新的主意。他匆忙的去见了一些政府官员。但那个时候，人们都不愿意帮助他了。八年后，他们谢绝谈论他们是否想要让计算机发明出来，但显然，他们最终的答案是不。
1828年到1839年里，Babbage非常成功的做着剑桥教授的工作。但他最优秀的成果，却是他那未完成的计算机。它满是灰尘的站在Babbage屋子的隐蔽角落里。它就是电脑发明的开始。