Science & Mathematics - Overview
The Museum's collections hold thousands of objects related to chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, and other sciences. Instruments range from early American telescopes to lasers. Rare glassware and other artifacts from the laboratory of Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen, are among the scientific treasures here. A Gilbert chemistry set of about 1937 and other objects testify to the pleasures of amateur science. Artifacts also help illuminate the social and political history of biology and the roles of women and minorities in science.
The mathematics collection holds artifacts from slide rules and flash cards to code-breaking equipment. More than 1,000 models demonstrate some of the problems and principles of mathematics, and 80 abstract paintings by illustrator and cartoonist Crockett Johnson show his visual interpretations of mathematical theorems.
"Science & Mathematics - Overview" showing 255 items.
Page 1 of 26
Instruction Manual for Pickett Slide Rules with Ln-L Scales
- Description
- Maurice Hartung of the University of Chicago wrote this sixteen-page booklet to explain the use of natural log and logarithmic scales placed on Pickett's line of "dual-base" slide rules. Its citation information is: Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use Ln-L Scale Slide Rules (Santa Barbara, Calif.: Pickett, Inc., n.d.). The logo and address on the cover were in use from 1964.
- Pickett used these scales on several models represented in the Smithsonian collections, including 3, 4, 515, 600, and 1010. The rules depicted in the booklet are models 1011 and 4, similar to 2000.0203.01. Hartung explains how to find logarithms and natural logs (by reading the mantissa), powers of e and 10, logarithms of proper fractions, powers for negative exponents, and the characteristic. He explains how to place the decimal point and how to correct for the error introduced when the number 2.3 is used to estimate e. He then covers multiplication, division, logarithms of combined operations, powers of other bases, hyperbolic functions, and applied problems.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- after 1964
- maker
- Hartung, Maurice L.
- ID Number
- 1980.0097.04
- accession number
- 1980.0097
- catalog number
- 1980.0097.04
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Keuffel & Esser 4078 Duplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This 20-inch mahogany linear slide rule is coated on the front and back with white celluloid; the edges are bare. The scales are labeled on the right end of each side. On both sides, the top of the base has an A scale, and the bottom of the base has a D scale. On one side, the slide has B and C scales; on the other, the slide has BI and CI scales. The rule has two indicators: the original brass double-chisel style indicator, and the frameless glass with plastic edges that Keuffel & Esser adopted in 1915. According to the donor, the second indicator was acquired some years after the original slide rule.
- The bottom of the base on one side and the chisel indicator on the other side are both marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER Co. NEW-YORK. The bottom of the base is also engraved: CHAS. C. BRUSH 1901. The symbol for pi has also been scratched on the D scale on that side. On the other side, the bottom of the base is marked: PAT. OCT. 6. 1891. One edge of the frameless indicator is marked: K&E.CO.N.Y. (/) PAT.8.17.15. For information on these patents, see MA*318477 and MA*318475.
- The cardboard case is covered with brown morocco leather. It is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (/) DUPLEX (/) SLIDE RULE. See the similar case for MA*326613.
- According to the donor, the instrument was used by his father, Charles C. Brush (1880–1968), who graduated from high school in Philadelphia in 1898 and subsequently studied at the Franklin Institute. He received a certificate from the School of Naval Architecture there in 1904. The model 4078 is only listed in Keuffel & Esser catalogues for 1901 and 1903, priced at $16.50. The catalog evidence and the date on the slide rule make it reasonable to suppose that Brush acquired the slide rule in the course of his studies. Charles C. Brush was then associated with the Bureau of Lighthouses from 1917 to 1939. When the Lighthouse Service ended in 1939, he served as a marine engineer in the engineering department of the U.S. Coast Guard until his retirement in 1944.
- References: Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 30th ed. (New York, 1900–1901), 296; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 31st ed. (New York, 1903), 306; accession file.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1901-1903
- maker
- Keuffel & Esser Co.
- ID Number
- 1977.0370.01
- accession number
- 1977.0370
- catalog number
- 335926
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Pickett N1010-ES Trig Duplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This ten-inch aluminum linear slide rule has a yellow ("eye saver") coating and a nylon indicator. The front of the base has L, DF, D, and DI scales, with B, ST, T, S, and C scales on the slide. The left end of the slide is marked: MODEL (/) N1010-ES (/) TRIG. The right end of the slide has the style of Pickett logo used between 1958 and 1962, with MADE IN U.S.A. printed below the logo.
- The back of the base has K, A, D, and DI scales, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The left end of the slide is marked: COPYRIGHT 1959© (/) PATENT APPLIED FOR. The right end of the slide is marked: PICKETT INC. (/) Santa Barbara, Calif. Compare to 1993.0559.01.
- A black leather case is lined in pink plastic. The triangular Pickett logo stamped in gold below the slot for the case's flap is wearing away. The back of the case has a metal ring for attaching to a belt. Inside the flap is the name and address of David D. Goldberg, who was apparently the first owner of the instrument. It then passed to Janis Popowicz, who donated the rule to the Smithsonian while she was technician in the Division of Mathematics from September 1977 to April 1978. She used it as a high school physics student.
- As is the case for many Pickett slide rules (e.g., 1991.0445.02), the dating for this instrument is ambiguous. The copyright date, logo, shape of the posts, and location of the grooves (on the slide instead of on the base) are all consistent with a date between 1958 and 1962. However, Pickett & Eckel only moved to Santa Barbara, Calif., and took the new name of Pickett Industries in 1964. The logo changed in 1962 and again in 1964. See the company history with 1998.0119.02.
- References: Rodger Shepherd, "Pickett Metal Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 1, no. 1 (1992): 5–8; James A. Coontz, "You Think You Have Moving Day Problem?" Los Angeles Times, January 16, 1964, B8; Michael P. O'Leary, "Pickett from a Manufacturing Perspective," Journal of the Oughtred Society 10, no. 1 (2001): 13–14; Maurice L. Hartung, A Teaching Guide for Slide Rule Instruction (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1960), http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/pickett/pickett_training.pdf.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1962
- maker
- Pickett Industries
- ID Number
- 1977.1113.01
- catalog number
- 336446
- accession number
- 1977.1113
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Gilson Binary Circular Slide Rule
- Description
- This two-sided aluminum circular slide rule is coated with white celluloid enamel. The front has two interlocking yellow-green plastic arms, pivoted at the center with a metal nut and bolt with metal washers on both front and back. The back has one rotating arm. Thirteen circles of scales are on the front, including C (for multiplication, division, and proportion), CI (C inverted), A (squares), K (cubes), logarithms, a spiral log-log scale (marked from 1.0015 to 1,000,000), two binary scales for adding and subtracting fractions, a scale of drill sizes, a scale of thread sizes, and millimeters. The front is marked near the center: THE BINARY SLIDE RULE (/) MADE IN U.S.A. (/) COPYRIGHTED 1940.
- Three concentric circles forming a scale of degrees, sines, and tangents are on the back. Inside this scale is a chart for decimal equivalents of fractions. The back is marked: COPYRIGHTED (/) 1931 (/) GILSON SLIDE RULE CO. (/) STUART, FLA. The sets of scales are almost the same as those on 1998.0119.01 and 1989.0032.01, which are both Gilson Midget circular slide rules, but the scale of thread sizes is in United States Form instead of United States Standard. Because it does not have alternating yellow and white stripes, this rule is unusual for a Gilson Binary slide rule. There is a case for this rule.
- References: Sphere Research Corporation, "Gilson Binary/Atlas Circular Slide Rule Operating Information," http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/circular-man2.html; Clippings Scrapbook, page 82, Cummings Library, Palm City, Fla.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- after 1940
- maker
- Gilson Slide Rule Company
- ID Number
- 1979.0816.01
- catalog number
- 1979.0816.01
- accession number
- 1979.0816
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Pickett N3-T Duplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This aluminum duplex slide rule is coated with "traditional" white plastic. The indicator is flat and made from nylon (hence the "N" in the model number). The front of the rule has two square root scales; K, A, B, ST, S, T, CI, C, D, and DI scales; and three cube root scales. The back of the rule has LL0, LL1, DF, CF, CIF, Ln, CI, C, D, LL2, and LL3 scales. Markings on the rule are described for the nearly identical 2009.0019.01. The rule fits in a burgundy leather case printed with the Pickett logo in gold. A strap and hook on the back attach the case to a belt.
- Pickett was making a Model 3 slide rule as early as 1954, but the scales were arranged differently and the front of the slide had the tables found on Model 2. (See 1979.0601.02.) The logo on this instrument was used between 1964 and 1975. The shape of the indicator and the shape of the metal end pieces are consistent with this date range.
- For related documentation, see 1980.0097.05 and 1980.0097.06.
- References: Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 75–76; Pickett All-Metal Slide Rules, catalog 164-A (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1954), 11.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1964-1975
- maker
- Pickett Industries
- ID Number
- 1980.0097.01
- catalog number
- 1980.0097.01
- accession number
- 1980.0097
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Engineering Instruments 250-V Simplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This ten-inch, one-sided wooden slide rule is coated with white plastic on the front face and both sides of the slide. A, D, and K scales are on the base. B, CI, and C scales are on one side of the slide, with S, L, and T scales on the other side. The indicator is clear frameless plastic. The top of the base is marked: MADE IN U.S.A. It is also marked: ENGINEERING INSTRUMENTS, INC., PERU, INDIANA. It is also marked: PAT. PEND. The right end of the slide is marked: 250-V. Tables for equivalents and conversions appear on the back of the instrument. The rule fits in a tan paper sleeve—neither the original simulated leather case nor the instruction manual were received with the instrument.
- Vivian (Breyer) Lawrence received Lawrence Engineering Service, a manufacturer of slide rules in Peru, Ind., in her divorce from George Lee Lawrence in 1947. Her new husband, Frank Bozarth, was president of the renamed Engineering Instruments, Inc., until the company burned down in 1967. Although the building was insured, Engineering Instruments never rebuilt. This rule probably dates between the late 1950s and 1967. The model number may mean that the rule is 250 mm long with a veneered finish, although the scales are actually about 255 mm. The rule sold for $2.00. Compare to 1983.0042.01.
- References: Bruce Babcock, "Lawrence Engineering Service — A Tale from an American Small Town," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996): 55–61; David G. Rance, "The Unique Lawrence," Proceedings of the 17th International Meeting of Slide Rule Collectors (September 2011), 87–107, http://www.sliderules.nl/index.php?p=papers; Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 195–196.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1958-1967
- maker
- Engineering Instruments, Inc.
- Lawrence Engineering Service
- ID Number
- 1980.0097.02
- accession number
- 1980.0097
- catalog number
- 1980.0097.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Post Instruction Manual for Versalog Slide Rule
- Description
- This is a later printing of 1978.0800.02. Its citation information is: E. I. Fiesenheiser, Versalog Slide Rule Instruction Manual, with R. A. Budenholzer and B. A. Fisher (Chicago: Frederick Post Company, 1963). The text appears not to have been revised since these three Illinois Institute of Technology engineering professors helped invent the Versalog slide rule and wrote instructions for using it in 1951. Marks inside the front cover indicate this copy was offered for sale in January 1969 for $1.00.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1963
- maker
- Frederick Post Co.
- ID Number
- 1980.0097.03
- accession number
- 1980.0097
- catalog number
- 1980.0097.03
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Keuffel & Esser 4053-3 Polyphase Mannheim Duplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This ten-inch one-sided wooden slide rule is coated with white celluloid. The indicator is glass with white plastic edges attached by metal screws. The base has A, D, and K scales. The slide has B, CI, and C scales on one side of the slide and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The top and bottom edges are beveled; the top has a simply divided scale 10 inches long and divided to sixteenths of an inch, while the bottom has a simply divided scale 25 centimeters long and divided to millimeters.
- The left end of the slide has the model number in red: 4053-3. The right end is marked in red: © (/) K+E. The left end of the back of the slide has a serial number: 169518. Underneath the slide is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.; MADE IN U.S.A. Engraved directly on the back of the rule are tables of measures labeled: CONVERSION FACTORS. Centered underneath the tables is: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.
- Keuffel & Esser made slide rules of this type from 1909 to 1967. McCoy notes that this version of model 4053-3 (with this model number and the engraved tables) was introduced in 1954. In 1959, the rule sold in a plain case for $13.50. In 1962, model number 4053-3 was changed to 68-1622. The serial number suggests a date closer to the late 1950s than to the early 1960s. Compare to the earlier rule, 1981.0933.05.
- References: Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 192; Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4053 Family of Slide Rules," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4053family.htm; K+E Catalog, 42nd ed. (New York, 1954), 271; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg; Eric Marcotte, "The Evolution of a Slide Rule – The K&E 4053-3," http://www.sliderule.ca/4053.htm.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1954-1962
- maker
- Keuffel & Esser Co.
- ID Number
- 1981.0922.08
- accession number
- 1981.0922
- catalog number
- 1981.0922.08
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Pickett 101-C Circular Slide Rule
- Description
- This yellow aluminum circular slide rule has three clear plastic indicators, one blank. The other indicator on the front is marked in red to denote the C, CI, A, AF, L, FA, LL2, LL1, DS, DT, and M scales. The indicator on the back is marked in red to denote the C, S,ST, and T scales. A ring of numbers under the scales on the back permits conversions from fractions to decimals.
- The center of the front is marked: CIRCULAR SLIDE RULE – dial rule (/) PICKETT. The center of the back is marked: dial rule (/) NO 101-C. A triangular Pickett logo, of the form used between 1950 and 1958, appears at the bottom of the center; CHICAGO is printed below the logo.
- Pickett & Eckel, a slide rule manufacturer based in Chicago and Alhambra, Calif., distributed a small booklet with this instrument, one of the few circular slide rules sold by the company and possibly the only circular model it manufactured. Maurice L. Hartung, a University of Chicago mathematics professor associated with the company, wrote the instruction manual (1981.0922.13). The booklet is copyrighted 1957, and the logo on this copy was used by the company between 1958 and 1962. Thus, this slide rule dates to about 1958.
- References: Rodger Shepherd, "Pickett Metal Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 1, no. 1 (1992): 5–8; Walter Shawlee, "Information About Pickett Slide Rules," Sphere Research Slide Rule Site, http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/pickett.html.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1958
- maker
- Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated
- ID Number
- 1981.0922.12
- catalog number
- 1981.0922.12
- accession number
- 1981.0922
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Keuffel & Esser 4092 Log Log Duplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This ten-inch mahogany duplex slide rule is faced with yellowed white celluloid and held together with corroded L-shaped end pieces. On one side, the base has A and D scales, with B, S, and C scales on the slide. The left end of the slide is marked in red: < 4092 >. The bottom of the base is marked in red: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PAT. JUNE 5. '00 DEC. 22. '08. On the other side, the base has LL1, LL2, LL3, D, and L scales, with C, T, and CI scales on the base. The indicator is frameless glass with plastic edges fastened with screws. One edge is marked: K&E.CO.N.Y. (/) PAT.8.17.15.
- Keuffel & Esser of New York offered model 4092 from about 1909 to 1921. The frameless glass indicator was introduced in 1915. The rule sold for $8.00 from 1909 through 1915 and for $12.50 in 1921. This example fits in a cardboard case covered with black leather and marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER Co. (/) LOG. LOG. (/) SLIDE RULE. For instructions, see 1981.0993.02. Later examples of K&E Log Log slide rules in the collections include 1984.1068.02, MA*318479, 1990.0687.01, 1986.0790.03, and 1987.0085.01.
- The donor, William J. Ellenberger (1908–2008), studied electrical and mechanical engineering at The George Washington University between 1925 and 1934. He then worked for the Potomac Electric Power Company and the National Bureau of Standards. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He was a civilian construction management engineer for the army from 1954 to 1968, when he became a private consultant.
- References: Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 33rd ed. (New York, 1909), 312; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 35th ed. (New York, 1915), 304; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 36th ed. (New York, 1921), 240; "The GW Engineering Hall of Fame 2006 Inductees," http://www.weas.gwu.edu/ifaf/hall_of_fame_inductees_2006.php.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1915-1921
- maker
- Keuffel & Esser Co.
- ID Number
- 1981.0933.01
- catalog number
- 1981.0933.01
- accession number
- 1981.0933
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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