Science & Mathematics

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.

In this instrument a white rectangular plastic sheet slides between two white discs that are held together with black plastic bars and metal grommets.
Description
In this instrument a white rectangular plastic sheet slides between two white discs that are held together with black plastic bars and metal grommets. The sheet is marked in green on both sides, with a polar grid and rectangular grid on one side and a polar grid on the other side. The front disc has scales for altitude computations at the top and for air speed computations at the bottom. The back disc has a scale to correct direction readings for wind and a scale for converting temperature readings from degrees Centigrade to Fahrenheit. The center of the back disc is clear for viewing the grid. A salmon plastic sheath stores the instrument.
The device is marked on the front: DALTON DEAD RECKONING COMPUTER (/) TYPE E-6B. It also is marked: WEEMS SYSTEM OF NAVIGATION (/) (A DIVISION OF JEPPESEN & CO.) (/) DENVER, COLORADO; PAT. NO. 2,097,118. The grid is marked in pencil: FL[IGH]T OFF COURSE (/) 2 MILES/SQUARE. The back of the disc is also marked in pencil. The three lines in the clear part of the disc are illegible, but below the temperature conversion scale, the marks read: 3.5° F/1000'. A ring at the top of one black plastic bar is marked: U.S. PAT. 3,112,875.
Naval Reserve pilot Philip Dalton, in consultation with navigation instructor Philip Van Horn Weems, developed the Dalton dead reckoning computer for the U.S. Army Air Corps and received a patent in 1937. The device was widely used during World War II.
After the war, many manufacturers in the United States and Europe made the E-6B. Elrey Borge Jeppesen, a pilot for what became United Airlines, founded his company in 1934 and moved it to Denver in 1941. Jeppesen & Co. made aeronautical charts and navigational tools and guides. It became a subsidiary of Boeing in 2000. The patent number on the back of this object refers to the design of the computer with the gridded rectangular sheet and two discs. The patentees were employed by Felsenthal Instruments Co., which frequently supplied companies with the plastic for manufacturing Dalton computers in the 1950s and 1960s.
The donor purchased this object around 1965 and used it for about two years in airplane navigation.
References:
Paul McConnell, "Some Early Computers for Aviators," Annals of the History of Computing 13, no. 2 (1991): 155–177, on 156. Philip Dalton, "Plotting and Computing Device" (U.S. Patent 2,097,116 issued October 26, 1937).
Ben Van Caro and Burton L. Fredriksen, "Computer Slide Construction" (U.S. Patent 3,112,875 issued December 3, 1963). "E6B," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E6B.
"Jeppesen," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeppesen.
"On the Beam," advertisement for Dalton Dead Reckoning Computer, Felsenthal Plastics, Flying 35, no. 2 (August 1944): 10.
Paul Sanik, "U.S. Army Air Corps Aerial Dead Reckoning type E-6B," Journal of the Oughtred Society 6, no. 2 (1997): 32–34 .
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1960s
maker
Jeppesen & Co.
ID Number
1995.0087.03
accession number
1995.0087
catalog number
1995.0087.03
The brass core of this cylindrical slide rule is covered with paper marked with forty A scales. The core fits in an open rotating frame that holds twenty metal slats; each slat is lined with cloth, covered with paper, and marked with two B and two C scales.
Description
The brass core of this cylindrical slide rule is covered with paper marked with forty A scales. The core fits in an open rotating frame that holds twenty metal slats; each slat is lined with cloth, covered with paper, and marked with two B and two C scales. Wooden knobs on each end of the core rotate the instrument. The frame is attached to a mahogany base.
The first A scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The first B scale runs from 100 to 112, the last from 946 to 100 to 105. The first C scale runs from 100 to 334, the last from 308 to 305. The paper covering the core is also printed in italics on the right side: Made by Keuffel & Esser Co., New York; Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E. Nov. 1st., 1881.
A paper of instructions and rules for operating THACHER'S CALCULATING INSTRUMENT is glued to the top front of the base. The top back of the base is stamped: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (encircling N.Y.); 4012 (/) 4917; TRADEMARK (below the K&E logo of a lion).
The instrument is stored in a mahogany rectangular case. A square off-white label inside the lid is printed: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (/) NEW YORK HOBOKEN, N.J. (/) CHICAGO ST. LOUIS SAN FRANCISCO MONTREAL (/) DRAWING MATERIALS, SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS (/) MEASURING TAPES (/) No. 4012 (/) SERIAL 4917.
Keuffel & Esser sold versions of the Thacher cylindrical slide rule from about 1883 until about 1950. There were two models, one with a magnifying glass (K&E model 1741 before 1900, K&E model 4013 after) and one without (K&E model 1740 before 1900, K&E model 4012 after). This is a model 4012; the serial number suggests it was manufactured around 1920. Model 4012 sold for $35.00 in 1916, $60.00 in 1922, and $70.00 in 1927.
The National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology) declared this object excess property and transferred it to the Smithsonian in 1965. In 1968, the Department of Commerce borrowed the slide rule to exhibit in the U.S. Pavilion at HemisFair, an international exposition held in San Antonio, Tex. According to the accession file, a staffer replaced four missing screws on the base before returning the rule.
See also MA.312866; MA.323504; and MA.322730.
References: Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules and Calculating Instruments (New York, 1916), 22; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules and Calculating Instruments (New York, 1922), 21; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules and Calculating Instruments (New York, 1927), 20.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.326628
accession number
261654
maker number
4917
catalog number
326628
By the 1960s, when this cardboard box was made, slide rules were an established symbol of the technical education of young Americans. They came with considerable packaging – not only a leather or plastic case but a set of instructions and a guarantee.
Description
By the 1960s, when this cardboard box was made, slide rules were an established symbol of the technical education of young Americans. They came with considerable packaging – not only a leather or plastic case but a set of instructions and a guarantee. This box, made by the American firm of Pickett, was designed for the company’s model N4M-ES slide rule. The N indicates that the cursor was nylon, the M that it magnified the portion of the scales below it, and the ES that it was in “eye saver” yellow rather than the more usual white. The box also holds a guarantee – but no slide rule or case.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965
maker
Pickett Industries
ID Number
1995.3023.07
nonaccession number
1995.3023
catalog number
1995.3023.07
This paper, brass, and wood cylindrical slide rule has 20 sets of A, B, and C scales, with each set 47 cm in length.
Description
This paper, brass, and wood cylindrical slide rule has 20 sets of A, B, and C scales, with each set 47 cm in length. The scales are printed on paper that is glued around a sliding brass drum (with wooden handles) and on brass slats that are attached to a round brass frame on either end. The frame is screwed to a wooden base. A sheet of instructions for THACHER'S CALCULATING INSTRUMENT is glued along the top front of the base.
The right side of the paper on the drum is marked in italics: Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E. Nov. 1st 1881. Divided by W. F. Stanley, London, 1882. Made by Keuffel & Esser Co. N.Y. A small silver metal tag affixed to the front right of the base is engraved: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (/) NEW-YORK (/) 663. Wayne Feely has suggested that K&E began manufacturing (as opposed to simply distributing) Thacher cylindrical slide rules in 1887, indicating 1887 is the earliest date for this example of the instrument. The latest date for the instrument is 1900, because K&E changed the design of the brass frame at that time.
The object is contained in a wooden case that bears no identifying marks. According to the accession file, the rule was found in a Smithsonian collections storage locker in the Arts & Industries Building about 1964.
See also MA.312866.
Reference: Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887-1900
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1987.0107.08
catalog number
1987.0107.08
accession number
1987.0107
The Commonwealth Plastics Corporation of Leominster, Mass., a manufacturer of plastic toys, dolls, and other goods, made this one-sided, six-inch inexpensive white molded plastic slide rule with a clear plastic frameless indicator.
Description
The Commonwealth Plastics Corporation of Leominster, Mass., a manufacturer of plastic toys, dolls, and other goods, made this one-sided, six-inch inexpensive white molded plastic slide rule with a clear plastic frameless indicator. The base has A and D scales, with B, CI, and C scales on the slide. The slide also has linear scales along its edges, inches divided to sixteenths of an inch and centimeters divided to millimeters. The back of the rule has a table of equivalents and abbreviations. The back is marked in script: Admiration. It is also marked: U.S.A. The rule fits into two slots in a yellow card. The front of the paper holder is marked: Instructions for use (/) on back of card; Admiration (/) PROFESSIONAL SLIDE RULE; EASY TO USE (/) No. 581. The back of the card gives directions and examples for reading the scales, locating the decimal point, multiplication, division, squares, square roots, and cubes. The card and rule are in a plastic bag stamped: 30¢.
Commonwealth Plastics was founded around 1923 and remained in business at 98 Adams Street until at least 1960. It was not a major manufacturer of slide rules.
References: "William Morris Lester (1908–2005)," The Plastics Collection, Syracuse University Library Special Collections Research Center, http://scrc.syr.edu:8080/content/lester_wm.php; Karen Nugent, "A City in the Making, from Pianos to Plastics: Industrial Past Spotlighted for Tour," Telegram & Gazette, Worcester, Mass., May 27, 2010; ad for Extrusion Supervisor, The Telegraph, Nashua, N.H., February 12, 1960, 10.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1950s
maker
Commonwealth Plastics Corporation
ID Number
1988.0807.03
accession number
1988.0807
catalog number
1988.0807.03
This instrument consists of two pieces of blue and white rectangular cardboard, riveted together at the corners. It is marked with a circular logarithmic scale of weight in pounds that ranges from 1 to 250. Inside this is a scale of lengths from 50" to 10".
Description
This instrument consists of two pieces of blue and white rectangular cardboard, riveted together at the corners. It is marked with a circular logarithmic scale of weight in pounds that ranges from 1 to 250. Inside this is a scale of lengths from 50" to 10". A white disc attached below that scale has a scale of heights from 5" to 30" and a scale of widths from 30" to 6". A paper indicator is attached on top of the disc. It contains a scale of densities in cubic inches per pound from 300 to 200 and three steps of instructions. This slide chart is marked: CLIPPER CARGO (/) DIMENSIONAL WEIGHT COMPUTER. It performs the same function as 1996.3029.01.
Unlike the other object, a rectangular piece of white cardboard slides inside the instrument to also permit readings of conversions from kilograms to pounds on the front and readings of pounds to kilograms on the back. This part of the chart is marked: WEIGHT CONVERTER. The bottom of the chart is marked: PAN AMERICAN, with LEADERS IN AIR CARGO on the front and SPACE CAN BE RESERVED on the back. The back also has an advertisement: CLIPPER CARGO (/) Reduces Pilferage (/) Reduces Damage (/) Reduces Inventory (/) Extends your working capital!
The lower left corner of the front is marked: Slide-Chart Copr. 1957, (/) PERRYGRAF Corp., Maywood, Ill. The lower right corner is marked: *T.M. Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. Perrygraf was a very successful producer of promotional slide charts. In 1968, the company was sold to Nashua Corporation and moved to Los Angeles, Calif.
Reference: Walter Shawlee II, "The Wonderful World of Slide Charts, Wheel Charts, and Perrygrafs," Sphere Research Corp., http://sphere.bc.ca/test/perrygraf.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1957-1968
maker
Perry Graf Corporation
ID Number
1996.3029.02
nonaccession number
1996.3029
catalog number
1996.3029.02
This two-sided, ten-inch wooden slide rule is coated with yellowed plastic and has metal endpieces. A glass indicator is cracked on both sides and has metal and black plastic edges marked: DIETZGEN.
Description
This two-sided, ten-inch wooden slide rule is coated with yellowed plastic and has metal endpieces. A glass indicator is cracked on both sides and has metal and black plastic edges marked: DIETZGEN. On one side, the base has L, LL1, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales, with CF, CIF, LCI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked in red: DIETZGEN MANIPHASE MULTIPLEX VECTOR TYPE LOG-LOG RULE CAT. NO. 1735.
On the other side, the base has LL0, LL00, A, D, Th, Sh2, and Sh1 scales, with B, T, ST, and S scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked: EUGENE DIETZGEN CO. PATS. 2,170,144 2,285,722 MADE IN U.S.A. 108821. The top edge of the rule is marked in script: Dom Petrone. The bottom edge is marked: DP.
An orange leather case is marked on the flap: K+E. The front of the case is marked: P. Inside the flap is marked: GWU (/) Gerald (/) PETRONE (/) U of Md (/) Easton MD (/) MIT (/) PETRONE, RA. Lines 1–3, 4–5, and 6–7 are each in different inks and handwriting.
The Eugene Dietzgen Company of Chicago offered model 1735 from 1941 to 1952. "Maniphase" refers to an arrangement of scales in which the company added K and CI scales to Mannheim rules; the word is printed on several slide rules sold by the Eugene Dietzgen Company. This rule is similar to 1986.0790.01, but it has hyperbolic tangent and sine scales on the back of the base instead of DI and K scales.
Three U.S. Naval Academy professors applied for the patents mentioned on this slide rule in 1937 and 1938. These patents dealt with arranging and coloring scales so that problems could be solved in the fewest steps; they were also cited on Keuffel & Esser slide rule models 4080 and 4801. (See 1992.0437.01, 2007.0181.01, MA.318482, MA.334387, 1990.0687.01, and 1986.0790.03.)
According to the donor, the rule was purchased by his uncle, Rocco Anthony Petrone (1926–2006), while he was studying for a master's degree in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1950 and 1951. After graduation he developed rockets for the U.S. Army. From 1966 to 1975, Petrone held various leadership positions at NASA, including director of the Apollo program (1969–1973).
Petrone passed the slide rule on to his brother, Dominic J. Petrone, who earned a BS in electrical engineering from Union College in 1950. Dominic gave the rule to his son, Gerald Petrone, who studied engineering at George Washington University in 1969 and subsequently at the University of Maryland at College Park. Gerald broke the indicator and acquired the replacement now on the instrument. He then passed the instrument to his brother, donor David Petrone, who studied electrical engineering at UMCP from 1971 to 1974. At some point, the original case was also replaced with a case from Keuffel & Esser. Several of the Petrones who used the slide rule marked it or the case with their name or initials.
References: Bruce Babcock, "Dietzgen Catalog Matrix," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/Dietzgen_CatalogMatrix_BruceBabcock1996_chart.jpg; William K. Robinson, "Slide Rules with Hyperbolic Functions," Journal of the Oughtred Society 14, no. 1 (2005): 55–62; Robert Otnes, "Dietzgen Patents, Runners, and Log Log Scales," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996): 45–48; Lyman M. Kells, Willis F. Kern, and James R. Bland, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,170,144 issued August 22, 1939), and "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,285,722 issued June 9, 1942); accession file; "Candidates for Union College Degrees," Evening Recorder, Amsterdam, N.Y. (June 8, 1950), 5.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1950-1951
maker
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
2013.0040.01
accession number
2013.0040
catalog number
2013.0040.01
This brass circular slide rule is the size and shape of a pocket watch. The base is a silver-colored disc surrounding a rotating brass ring.
Description
This brass circular slide rule is the size and shape of a pocket watch. The base is a silver-colored disc surrounding a rotating brass ring. The silver-colored indicator, which moves the brass ring and a forked pointer screwed to the center of the instrument, is attached to a small suspension ring. The indicator extends around the back of the instrument for use in reading the scales inscribed there.
Three scales are on the front: two logarithmic scales on the outermost rings (the equivalent of D and C scales on a linear slide rule) and a two-part scale for square roots around the silver-colored circle at the center (corresponding to the A scale on a linear slide rule). Around the center is engraved: CALCULIMETRE G. CHARPENTIER; BREVETÉ S.G.D.G. The serial number 35 is engraved below "Charpentier." The back of the instrument bears a scale of equal parts, a logarithmic scale, and an innermost scale of equal parts. The indicator arm is engraved: FRANCE.
Around 1882, G. Charpentier patented this design in France (as indicated by the "breveté" mark) and Great Britain. Several French instrument makers manufactured the device. In the United States, the Calculimetre was retailed for $5.00 by Keuffel & Esser from 1895 to 1927 and by Dietzgen from 1904 to 1931. According to the donor, John W. Olson, a Wall Street investment banker and collector of "unusual items" named Edward Hamilton Leslie purchased this slide rule around 1925.
References: Robert K. Otnes, "The Charpentier Calculator," Journal of the Oughtred Society pilot issue, vol. 0, no. 0 (1991): 9–11; Florian Cajori, A History of the Logarithmic Slide Rule and Allied Instruments (New York: Engineering News Publishing Company, 1909), 94; Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 81, 161, 193; Catalogue & Price List of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 7th ed. (Chicago, 1904), 174; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 33rd ed. (New York, 1909), 307.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1925
ID Number
1995.0261.01
accession number
1995.0261
catalog number
1995.0261.01
The base of this orange, black, and white cardboard circular chart has scales for the number and size of plows and for the size of combines, planters, or harrows. Riveted to the rectangular base is a disc with a scale of tractor speed in miles per hour.
Description
The base of this orange, black, and white cardboard circular chart has scales for the number and size of plows and for the size of combines, planters, or harrows. Riveted to the rectangular base is a disc with a scale of tractor speed in miles per hour. Setting the dial for the appropriate tractor speed opposite the size and type of machinery employed reveals the approximate number of acres worked per day.
According to its markings, Perry Graf Corporation of Maywood, Ill., copyrighted this "Tractor Calculator" in 1938 and made it for the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company's Tractor Division in Milwaukee, Wis. A curator's note indicates the copyright was not issued until November 27, 1941. Perrygraf (spelled variously as "Perrygraf" and "Perry Graf") designed special purpose "slide charts," which were often distributed by manufacturers to their customers.
The back of the calculator contains an advertisement for Allis-Chalmers, titled: WORK-PER-DAY THE A-C WAY. For other rules distributed by Perrygraf, see 1983.3009.06 and 1996.3029.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1941
maker
Perry Graf Corporation
ID Number
1983.3009.04
catalog number
1983.3009.04
nonaccession number
1983.3009
This five-inch, one-sided white molded plastic slide rule has K, A, D, and L scales on the base. B, CI, and C scales are on one side of the slide, and S, S&T, and T scales are on the other side, which is marked at the left end: Diwa (/) DENMARK.
Description
This five-inch, one-sided white molded plastic slide rule has K, A, D, and L scales on the base. B, CI, and C scales are on one side of the slide, and S, S&T, and T scales are on the other side, which is marked at the left end: Diwa (/) DENMARK. The top edge is beveled and has a scale of inches in red and a scale of centimeters in black. A glass indicator has a hairline and metal edges. A notch covered with clear plastic is on the right end of the base. The right end of the back is marked: No. 601 (/) MADE IN DENMARK. The back is also marked: COOPER-SIMON & CO., INC. (/) TECHNICAL SALES • FIELD ENGINEERS (/) Lehigh 5-2900 (/) 400 EAST 79th STREET • NEW YORK 21, N. Y. A brown leather sleeve has been scratched: PHIL KRUPEN. The previous owner's name is also written inside the case. Compare to 1992.0433.03.
Cooper-Simon, a distributor of ACME electric transformers, Chester cables, AEMCO relays, and various resistance products, presumably handed out this rule to advertise its firm. The Danish slide rule manufacturer, DIWA, was established in 1924 and prospered after World War II. During the postwar era, it often sold model 601 to companies for use as a promotional item. Krupen (1915–2001) was a physicist who graduated B.S. from Brooklyn College in 1935, worked on the development of the proximity fuse during and after World War II, earned a master's degree in physics from George Washington University, and spent a total of 38 years working for the U.S. government before he retired in 1973.
References: Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 77; International Slide Rule Museum, "Miscellaneous Europe," http://sliderulemuseum.com/, with instructions under the directory SR_Library_Europe.htm; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
maker
Diwa Manufacturing Co.
ID Number
1986.0790.05
catalog number
1986.0790.05
accession number
1986.0790
This ten-inch duplex linear magnesium slide rule is coated with layers of white vinyl and has finger holes at both ends of both sides of the slide. On the front, the base has L, LL1, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide.
Description
This ten-inch duplex linear magnesium slide rule is coated with layers of white vinyl and has finger holes at both ends of both sides of the slide. On the front, the base has L, LL1, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked LOG LOG DECIMAL TRIG ACU-MATH No 130 MADE IN U S A. On the back, the base has LLO, LLOO, A, D, S, ST, and T scales, with B, K, CI, and C scales on the slide. The indicator is plastic with white plastic edges. A maroon leather case with belt loop has a window marked: F. G. VIANZON.
The Acu-Rule Manufacturing Company was founded in 1938 in Festus, Mo., as the Festus Manufacturing Company. Renamed Acu-Rule Manufacturing Company in 1940, it soon was moved to St. Louis. In 1950 the company adopted the brand name Acu-Math (or ACUMATH). The firm moved to Mt. Olive, Ill., in 1954 and was sold to Sterling Plastics of Mountainside, N.J., in 1968. This model was not among the first rules sold by the firm, nor is it listed in a 1960 company catalog. Hence, it appears to date between 1950 and 1959. The donor's father, Felipe G. Vianzon, used this instrument.
Reference: George E. Keane, "A History of the Festus Manufacturing Company and Its Successor, the Acu-Rule Manufacturing Company, Makers of the Acu-Rule and ACUMATH Slide Rule," Journal of the Oughtred Society 14, no. 1 (2005): 51–54.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1950-1959
maker
Acu-Rule Manufacturing Company
ID Number
2002.0158.01
accession number
2002.0158
catalog number
2002.0158.01
This small (five-inch) one-sided slide rule is bamboo covered with white celluloid, with a clear celluloid and metal backing. A magnifying glass indicator has a metal frame. There are A and D scales on the base.
Description
This small (five-inch) one-sided slide rule is bamboo covered with white celluloid, with a clear celluloid and metal backing. A magnifying glass indicator has a metal frame. There are A and D scales on the base. The slide has B, CI, and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The upper edge of the base has a four-inch ruler divided to thirty-seconds of an inch.
The back of the base is marked: THE FREDERICK POST CO. NO. 1441 (/) SUN (between two drawings of the sun) HEMMI JAPAN CF. A brown leather case is stamped on the flap: POST. Inside the case is stamped: MADE IN JAPAN and handwritten: R. FREEZE.
The instrument was made by the Hemmi Slide Rule Company of Tokyo, Japan, and sold by the Frederick Post Company of Chicago, Ill. In the 1930s and 1940s, Post sold this model for $2.70. The code CF on the slide rule indicates that this example was manufactured by Hemmi in June 1952. The donor, Richard Freeze, purchased it in Philadelphia around 1956–57, when he was a student at Drexel Institute of Technology (later Drexel University). He used it during classes in physics, mathematics, and industrial engineering. Later, he used it while working at a specialty chemical firm doing industrial engineering projects.
Compare to 1995.0087.01.
References: Accession file; Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 183–187, 211; Posts Dependable Drawing Materials, 18th ed. (Chicago: The Frederick Post Company, 1936), 173. Price lists for this catalog, dated August 1937 and May 1940, show model 1441 on pages 11–12 and 27–28, respectively.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1950-1956
maker
Frederick Post Co.
SUN HEMMI JAPAN CF
ID Number
2003.0012.02
accession number
2003.0012
catalog number
2003.0012.02
This sixteen-inch instrument has a wooden core coated with white celluloid. There are A and D scales on the base, with B and C scales on one side of the slide; the scales are not labeled with letters.
Description
This sixteen-inch instrument has a wooden core coated with white celluloid. There are A and D scales on the base, with B and C scales on one side of the slide; the scales are not labeled with letters. The reverse of the slide has S, T, and L scales, which are labeled with these letters. The top edge is beveled and has a scale of inches, divided to sixteenths of an inch. The front edge has a scale of centimeters, divided to millimeters. A table of numerical ratios and equivalences is pasted to the back of the rule. A glass "frameless" indicator has plastic edges.
The base is marked in red: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PAT. JUNE 5, 1900. K&E head of manufacturing Willie L. E. Keuffel received this patent for a method of adjusting a slide rule, accomplished with four screws on the back of the instrument. The left end of the slide is marked in red: < 4045 >. K&E first advertised model 4045 in 1906. The edge of the indicator is marked: K&E.CO.N.Y. (/) PAT.8.17.15. Keuffel also took out this patent, for the design of the frameless indicator. Since the plastic on the indicator is the same color as the rule and thus probably original to the instrument, this example was likely made after 1915. The indicator was changed again in 1936, and K&E no longer made this model by 1939.
The rule is in a cardboard box faced with dark brown leather. The box is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER Co. (/) MANNHEIM (/) SLIDE RULE. The instrument was found in a Smithsonian storage court and catalogued in 1963. The indicator was broken in 2005 and is now stored in a separate bag. Compare this example to 1987.0634.01 and MA.308201.
References: Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule" (U.S. Patent 651,142 issued June 5, 1900); Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule Runner" (U.S. Patent 1,150,771 issued August 17, 1915); Wayne E. Feely, "K & E Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 49, no. 5 (June 1996): 50–52; Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4041 Family," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4041family.htm; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 32th ed. (New York, 1906), 322; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 35th ed. (New York, 1915), 299; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 38th ed. (New York, 1936), 311.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1915-1936
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.322761
accession number
251560
catalog number
322761
This ten-inch mahogany duplex linear slide rule is almost completely coated with white celluloid. The frameless glass indicator has plastic edges. On one side, the base has K and A scales at the top and D and DI scales at the bottom. The slide has B, T, SRT, and S scales.
Description
This ten-inch mahogany duplex linear slide rule is almost completely coated with white celluloid. The frameless glass indicator has plastic edges. On one side, the base has K and A scales at the top and D and DI scales at the bottom. The slide has B, T, SRT, and S scales. Divisions of angles are indicated in decimal fractions. The left side of the slide is marked with the serial number 330508, with the number 508 printed on the left side of both parts of the base.
The other side of the rule has a DF scale on the top of the base and D and L scales on the bottom of the base. The slide has CF, CIF, CI, and C scales. The top of the base is marked in red: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.; PATS. 2,500,460 2,168,056 2,170,144 PAT PEND.; MADE IN U.S.A. The right side of the slide is marked with the K&E logo, a copyright sign, and the model number, 4071-3. The instrument fits in an orange leather case with the K&E logo on the flap. Inside the flap is written in ink: H. R. L. (/) JULY '62.
Keuffel & Esser Company of New York sold this model from 1939 to 1967. The combination of scales on this example was sold beginning in 1955, and the model was renumbered in 1962 to 68-1502. Thus, the rule was probably manufactured between 1955 and 1962. The serial number is consistent with this dating.
The donor, Alfred E. Brown, was a research chemist for Celanese Corporation, which partnered with K&E in the 1960s to produce a special version of the 68-1555 slide rule (see 1993.0357.01). However, it is not known how this rule came into Brown's possession.
References: Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4071-3 Family of Slide Rules," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4071family.htm; Carl M. Bernegau, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,168,056 issued August 1, 1939); Lyman M. Kells, Willis F. Kern, and James R. Bland, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,170,144 issued August 22, 1939); Herschel Hunt, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,500,460 issued March 14, 1950); Walter Shawlee II, Ted Hume, and Paul Ross, "Keuffel & Esser Co. Slide Rules," Sphere Research Corporation, http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke-sliderule.html; "Alfred E. Brown Chemist," The Washington Post, March 19, 2004, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9676-2004Mar19_2.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1955-1962
date received
1993
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1993.0482.01
accession number
1993.0482
catalog number
1993.0482.01
The citation information for this small 32-page booklet is: Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use the 300 Log Log Trig Pocket Slide Rule (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1949).
Description
The citation information for this small 32-page booklet is: Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use the 300 Log Log Trig Pocket Slide Rule (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1949). It provides general information on how to use slide rules, including the arithmetical operations, locating the decimal point, combining multiplication and division, using the folded scales, calculating roots, trigonometry, and vectors.
Model 300 was a six-inch, pocket-sized duplex slide rule and is not presently represented in the Smithsonian collections, although 1999.0096.01 is a ten-inch log log trig rule. Hartung was a University of Chicago professor who helped Pickett & Eckel market their products to schools and who wrote several instruction manuals for the company's slide rules. See 1979.0601.02.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1949
maker
Hartung, Maurice L.
ID Number
1979.0601.03
accession number
1979.0601
catalog number
1979.0601.03
This aluminum slide rule is coated in "Eye Saver" yellow, as denoted by the model number. It is held together with aluminum braces; the indicator is nylon (also denoted by the model number) with three metal screws.
Description
This aluminum slide rule is coated in "Eye Saver" yellow, as denoted by the model number. It is held together with aluminum braces; the indicator is nylon (also denoted by the model number) with three metal screws. The front of the rule has A, D, and L scales, with B, CI, and C scales on the slide. The scales are about ten inches long. The slide and the top of the rule are both marked: MODEL N901-ES (/) SIMPLEX (/) MATH RULE. The other end of the slide bears the Pickett logo and the mark: MADE IN U.S.A.
The back of the rule has X and D* scales, with Y and C* scales on the slide. The top of the rule is marked: PICKETT, INC.; MODEL N901-ES; SIMPLEX MATH RULE. The bottom of the rule is marked: COPYRIGHT 1965; PICKETT, INC. SANTA BARBARA. CALIF.; MADE IN U.S.A.
The rule fits in a black leather sheath. The sheath was received in a green, white, and black cardboard box. One end of the box is marked: PickETT (/) 901-ES (/) ELEMENTARY MATH. It also is marked: about this rule: (/) 10 scales are keyed to (/) new math. Aids under- (/) standing of addition, (/) subtraction, multiplica- (/) tion, division and Base 10 (/) relationships. Grade 3 up. The inside of the box top flips up for display. The box slides into a green, white, and black cardboard cover. The top and sides of the box cover are each marked: PickETT; ALL METAL (/) SLIDE (/) RULE.
The box also contains a yellow paper slide rule guarantee and registration card. The object's serial number is A1216143. A 48-page instruction manual by Maurice L. Hartung is stored separately (1995.0126.02.01).
The X and Y scales were used for addition and subtraction and were unique to Pickett. Donor Lawrence J. Kamm conjectured that Hartung, a mathematics professor at the University of Chicago, recommended they be added to this product. According to Kamm, Hartung encouraged company cofounder Ross Pickett to market its slide rules only to schoolchildren. In order to provide scientists and engineers with access to rules such as the Decimal Keeper (1995.0126.01), Kamm opened a mail-order business that distributed Pickett's products.
References: Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: The Astragal Press, 1999), 209–210; Maurice L. Hartung, Complete, Semi-Programmed Teaching Instructions for the Use of Elementary Simplex Math Slide Rule (Santa Barbara, Calif.: Pickett, Inc., 1965); accession file; International Slide Rule Museum, "Pickett," http://sliderulemuseum.com/Pickett.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1965
date received
1995
maker
Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated
ID Number
1995.0126.02
accession number
1995.0126
catalog number
1995.0126.02
Mathematical instruments have long been used to assist in aiming weapons. This circular slide rule is one such device. Made for use in antisubmarine warfare, it has two scales on the base, two scales on a concentric disc atop this, and a rotating pointer pivoted at the center.
Description
Mathematical instruments have long been used to assist in aiming weapons. This circular slide rule is one such device. Made for use in antisubmarine warfare, it has two scales on the base, two scales on a concentric disc atop this, and a rotating pointer pivoted at the center. The lower disc has scales for the target speed in knots and the range in yards. The upper disc has scales for the bearing rate and angle on bow.
A mark on the lower edge of the base reads: S/N Z951-OSO-27241 (/) BEARING RATE COMPUTER. A mark on the disc reads: FELSENTHAL & SONS, INC. (/) PART NO. FNR-5.
Felsenthal made bearing rate computers for the U.S. Navy from at least the 1950s until at least the year 2000. A tag received with the object indicates that this model was produced from 1952.
Compare 1977.1141.33, 1977.1141.34, 1977.1141.35, and 1977.1141.36. Objects 1977.1141.35 and 1977.1141.36 appear to differ only in device number, the color of the two inner scales, and the spelling of "COMPUTER."
Reference:
U.S. Navy, Operations Specialist Volume I, NAVEDTRA 14308, 2000, pp 10-22 through 10-28. This volume was accessed online August 3, 2017.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Felsenthal Instrument Co.
ID Number
1977.1141.35
catalog number
336419
accession number
1977.1141
This white plastic German slide rule has a clear plastic cursor. Scales 25 cm. long are on the front of the base of the rule and on both sides of the slide. The slides on the rule are K, A, B, P, S, and T.
Description
This white plastic German slide rule has a clear plastic cursor. Scales 25 cm. long are on the front of the base of the rule and on both sides of the slide. The slides on the rule are K, A, B, P, S, and T. Those on the slide are B, BI, CI and C on the front and LL1, LL2, and LL3 on the back. The beveled top edge has a scale of equal parts divided to tenths of a centimeter, 27 centimeters long. The front of the instrument has an L scale. The back has a set of tables of use in mathematics, mechanics, and electronics.
The scale fits in a plastic case that is transparent on top and green on the bottom. Also included is a manual by Faber-Castell entitled "Anleitung Castell Praezisions-Rechenstaebe fuer Maschinen und Elektro-Ingenieure." This manual describes the Castell models 1/54, 4/54, 67/54 b, 67/54 R, 111/54, and 111/54 A. The only three of these with scales 25 cm. long are the 1/54, the 111/54, and the 111/54 A. None of the rules described in the booklet has a BI scale.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965
ID Number
2014.0136.02
accession number
2014.0136
catalog number
2014.0136.02
This white plastic circular slide rule was made by Concise Company, Ltd., of Tokyo, Japan, for Pan American Airlines. The base has a D scale, and there are C, CI, A, and K scales on a disc that rotates atop the base. A clear plastic indicator is pivoted at the center.
Description
This white plastic circular slide rule was made by Concise Company, Ltd., of Tokyo, Japan, for Pan American Airlines. The base has a D scale, and there are C, CI, A, and K scales on a disc that rotates atop the base. A clear plastic indicator is pivoted at the center. The center of the rotating disc is marked: CIRCULAR CONCISE SLIDE RULE (/) NO. 28 (/) MADE IN JAPAN.
The back of the object is light blue with a white logo of a globe and is marked: WORLD'S LARGEST AIR CARGO CARRIER (/) PAN AM (/) WORLD'S MOST EXPERIENCED AIRLINE. The instrument was received with a clear plastic sleeve, a black vinyl case, and an undated instruction manual. The case is marked: Concise (/) No. 28. In 1963, the rule was advertised as "a revolutionary new design concept."
Concise has specialized in circular slide rules, particularly for promotional distribution by other companies, since its founding in 1949. The company operated under the name Concise Co., Ltd., which appears on the instruction manual, from 1959 to 1966, hence the rough date assigned this slide rule. The donor, industrial engineer Richard Freeze, reported that he received the item as a promotional item distributed at a conference. For other Pan American promotional slide rules, see 1996.3029.01 and 1996.3029.02. For other slide rules by Concise, see 1985.0636.02, 1996.0141.01, and 2006.0173.01.
References: "Concise Corporate History," http://www.concise.co.jp/eng0731/history.html; Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 105; advertisement, Civil Engineering 33 (February 1963): 84; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1959-1966
distributor
Pan American Airlines
maker
Concise
ID Number
2003.0012.01
accession number
2003.0012
catalog number
2003.0012.01
This linear slide rule reflects changes that occurred in the materials of American manufacturing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The instrument itself has a pyroxylin (celluloid) envelope with a paper slide. There is no indicator.
Description
This linear slide rule reflects changes that occurred in the materials of American manufacturing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The instrument itself has a pyroxylin (celluloid) envelope with a paper slide. There is no indicator. It was designed for use in computing the properties of belting used in industrial processes. At that time, such belting was typically made from one of three materials: canvas saturated with a liquid, leather, or rubber. The Boston chemical firm of J. A. and W. Bird and Company developed a new material that they called "Bird's Bull's Eye Belting," which consisted of canvas plies stitched together, with a gum base pressed around each cotton fiber. The maker claimed that this belting did not dry out (as the usual form of canvas belting did), resisted damage from fumes or humidity, and maintained its tension.
This instrument has two sides. The front, or "Computer for Belting," allows the user to find the revolutions per minute of a pulley, the speed of the belt in feet per minute, and the proper belt width for the horsepower, given the diameter of the matched pulley and its revolutions per minute. The back, or "Computer for Shafting" side, allows calculation of the horsepower a shaft can communicate, given the shaft's diameter and revolutions per minute. The calculation is made using Thurston's formula, which states that the horsepower equals the cube of the shaft diameter times the number of times it revolves per minute divided by a constant dependent on the nature of the shaft.
The instrument is marked on the front: COPYRIGHTED 1908 (/) BY J.A. & W. BIRD & CO. (/) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BOSTON, MASS. On the back, it is marked near the left center in very small letters: PAT. JUNE 6, 1905. (/) THE WHITEHEAD & HOAG CO. NEWARK, N.J. Whitehead & Hoag manufactured a variety of plastic products including slide rules; see 1984.1080.01, 1987.0221.02, and 1988.0350.01 (which is also a belting computer).
References: Richard E. Roehm, "Process of Printing upon Pyroxylin Materials" (U.S. Patent 791,503 issued June 6, 1905); J. A. & W. Bird & Co., Belt Talks (Boston, 1909), 18. According to this publication, customers could receive one rule by sending 10 cents in stamps. A second rule cost 25 cents.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1908
maker
Whitehead & Hoag Company
ID Number
1988.0323.02
accession number
1988.0323
catalog number
1988.0323.02
This yellow and white rectangular paper rule has a white paper slide and is held together with four metal rivets. On the front, the top scales allow one to calculate the revolutions per minute for a given work diameter and surface speed.
Description
This yellow and white rectangular paper rule has a white paper slide and is held together with four metal rivets. On the front, the top scales allow one to calculate the revolutions per minute for a given work diameter and surface speed. The bottom scales allow calculation of the time in minutes and seconds for a given feed rate, length of cut, and R.P.M. The back of the instrument has tables for converting from fractions to decimals and for finding the suggested carbide surface speed of a lathe for different materials.
Perrygraf Corporation, described in 1979.3074.03, made this instrument in 1949 for the R. K. LeBlond Machine Tool Company of Cincinnati. A salesman could attach his card to the back of the calculator and give it to a client. Richard K. LeBlond (1864–1953) began making machines in 1887 and became known for the quality of his lathes in the 1890s. Products included lathes for manufacturing bicycles and automobile crankshafts. The company employed 1,200 workers and made a mammoth lathe for boring artillery during World War II. In 1981 Makino Corporation of Japan purchased the company. The factory in Cincinnati is now Rookwood Pavilion shopping center.
Perrygraf slide rules in the collection include: 1983.3009.04, 1983.3009.05, 1983.3009.06, 1987.0108.03, 1988.0323.01, 1988.0325.01, and 1992.3103.01.
References: Tom Wyman, "Slide Chart Calculators – A Modest Proposal," Journal of the Oughtred Society 13, no. 1 (2004): 6–10; Kenneth L. Cope, American Lathe Builders: 1810–1910 (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2001), 89; Tony Griffiths, "LeBlond - USA," Machine Tool Reference Archive, http://www.lathes.co.uk/leblond/.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1949
maker
Perry Graf Corporation
ID Number
1992.3103.01
nonaccession number
1992.3103
catalog number
1992.3103.01
This circular device was an aid to programming the UNIVAC solid state computer. It consists of a paper disc, with equal divisions running from 1 to 200 near the edge, and a clear plastic rotating disc. These are pivoted together at the center.
Description
This circular device was an aid to programming the UNIVAC solid state computer. It consists of a paper disc, with equal divisions running from 1 to 200 near the edge, and a clear plastic rotating disc. These are pivoted together at the center. The upper disc is marked in red with two perpendicular diameters. The lower disc is marked: MINIMUM LATENCY CALCULATOR FOR THE UNIVAC SOLID-STATE COMPUTER. The UNIVAC had a magnetic storage drum on which locations were specified numerically. The latency calculator allowed programmers to write code for the machine to make the most efficient possible use of the drum memory.
The back of the instrument gives a list of instruction codes and corresponding execution times for words. It is marked: Remington Rand Univac. It is also marked: U1767 Rev. 1 PRINTED (/) IN (/) U.S.A. The rule was received in a paper bag.
Reference: Sperry Rand Corporation, Simple Transition to Electronic Processing, UNIVAC Solid-State 80, (1960), 18–26.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1950
maker
Remington Rand Univac
ID Number
2005.0271.01
accession number
2005.0271
catalog number
2005.0271.01
This duplex linear slide rule, made of aluminum with an “eye saver yellow” coating, has numerous scales that are 10 inches long. The front has on the top of the base two square root scales, a K scale, and an A scale.
Description
This duplex linear slide rule, made of aluminum with an “eye saver yellow” coating, has numerous scales that are 10 inches long. The front has on the top of the base two square root scales, a K scale, and an A scale. At the bottom of the front of the base are a D scale, a D1 scale, and three scales for cube roots. The front of the slide has B, ST, S, two T, C1 and C scales. The back of the base has at the top two LL0 and two LL1 scales, as well as a DF scale. At the bottom of the back of the base are a D scale, two LL2 scales and two LL3 scales. On the back of the slide are CF, C1F, Ln, L, C1 and C scales. The indicator is made from plastic and held together with metal screws. The leather case has a hook on the back which connects to a belt strap. A copper-colored plate on the front of the case reads: BILL NYE. A pen mark inside the flap reads: Bill Nye.
Donor Bill Nye acquired the slide rule as a gift from his parents over winter break in 1971. He used it from 1971 until 1975, in high school and in engineering school at Cornell University. Nye went on host "Bill Nye the Science Guy," a Public Broadcasting System television show for children.
This slide rule was copyrighted in 1960. The logo on it is that used by Pickett from 1964 until 1975.
Compare 2016.0283.01 and 2009.0019.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1971
maker
Pickett Industries
ID Number
2016.0283.01
accession number
2016.0283
catalog number
2016.0283.01
The citation information for this 16-page pamphlet is Charles Bruning Company, Inc., Instruction Manual for Bruning Slide Rule No. 2401 (New York, 1944). The cover notes that the company had applied for a patent on a slide rule indicator, but no such patent has been found.
Description
The citation information for this 16-page pamphlet is Charles Bruning Company, Inc., Instruction Manual for Bruning Slide Rule No. 2401 (New York, 1944). The cover notes that the company had applied for a patent on a slide rule indicator, but no such patent has been found. The manual begins with the claim that results on model 2401 were significant to three digits. After explaining the parts of a slide rule, the manual divides the process of learning to use a slide rule into twelve steps, each of which are discussed with examples, solutions, and exercises in the remainder of the pamphlet. This manual was received with 1991.0445.03.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944
maker
Charles Bruning Company, Inc.
ID Number
1991.0445.03.01
accession number
1991.0445
catalog number
1991.0445.03.01

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