Science & Mathematics

Chemical Balance

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.

Psychological Test, Gates Primary Reading Test. Type 2. Sentence Reading. Form 1

Arthur I. Gates (1890-1972) obtained his Bachelor of Law (1914) and his M.A. (1915) from the University of California at Berkeley and his PhD. from Columbia University (1917).
Description
Arthur I. Gates (1890-1972) obtained his Bachelor of Law (1914) and his M.A. (1915) from the University of California at Berkeley and his PhD. from Columbia University (1917). He spent the rest of his career on the faculty of Teachers College at Columbia, putting special emphasis on the study of reading and language arts. Teachers College published his tests. Gates not only was the author of reading tests at several levels but of textbooks and basal readers.
Gates divided his test into three “types” of skills. Type 2, tested here, is sentence reading. It was designed for primary students (grades 1 and 2). This example was copyrighted in 1931 and filled out in 1938. It is Form 1 of this test.
Compare 1990.0034.074, 1990.0034.075, 1990.0034.076, 1990.0034.077, 1990.0034.078, 1990.0034.079, 1990.0034.092, and 1990.0034.093.
References:
American Psychological Association, 1962 Directory, ed. James Q. Holsopple, Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 1962, p. 244.
MacGinitie, Walter, “The Contribution of Arthur I. Gates,” Conference of the International Reading Association, St. Louis, 1981. 1981. This is online at a site known as yumpu.com, accessed April 20, 2020.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1931
author
Gates, A. I.
publisher
Columbia University. Teachers College
ID Number
1990.0034.075
accession number
1990.0034
catalog number
1990.0034.075

Pamphlet, Manual of Directions for Gates Primary Reading Tests

Arthur I. Gates (1890-1972) obtained his Bachelor of Law (1914) and his M.A. (1915) from the University of California at Berkeley and his PhD. from Columbia University (1917).
Description
Arthur I. Gates (1890-1972) obtained his Bachelor of Law (1914) and his M.A. (1915) from the University of California at Berkeley and his PhD. from Columbia University (1917). He spent the rest of his career on the faculty of Teachers College at Columbia, putting special emphasis on the study of reading and language arts. Teachers College published his tests. Gates not only was the author of reading tests at several levels but of textbooks and basal readers.
This is the revised form of the manual of directions for a reading test designed for primary students (grades 1 and 2). It is dated April 1935. This example is signed in ink: Kavruck (/) CCNY (/) 1939. The copy was owned by the psychologist Samuel Kavruck, who donated it to the Smithsonian.
Compare 1990.0034.074, 1990.0034.075, 1990.0034.076, 1990.0034.077, 1990.0034.078, 1990.0034.079, 1990.0034.092, and 1990.0034.093.
References:
American Psychological Association, 1962 Directory, ed. James Q. Holsopple, Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 1962, p. 244.
MacGinitie, Walter, “The Contribution of Arthur I. Gates,” Conference of the International Reading Association, St. Louis, 1981. This is online at a site known as yumpu.com, accessed April 20, 2020.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1935
maker
Gates, A. I.
publisher
Columbia University. Teachers College
ID Number
1990.0034.092
catalog number
1990.0034.092
accession number
1990.0034

Psychological Test, Study of Values. Revised Edition

By 1930, psychologists not only designed paper and pencil tests to measure intelligence and occupational aptitude, but to test personality. This is such a test, designed by the British psychologist Phillip E. Vernon (1905-1897) and Harvard faculty member Gordon W.
Description
By 1930, psychologists not only designed paper and pencil tests to measure intelligence and occupational aptitude, but to test personality. This is such a test, designed by the British psychologist Phillip E. Vernon (1905-1897) and Harvard faculty member Gordon W. Allport (1897-1967). The test sought to classify people according to whether they most valued theoretical, economic, aesthetic, social, political, or religious considerations. Revised versions of the examination were prepared at least as late as 2003.
Compare 1989.0710,10 (1931), 1990.0034.169 (1931), and 1990.0034.069 (1951 edition).
Reference:
Piotr K. Oles and H. J.M. Hermans, “Allport-Vernon Study of Values,” Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology, 2010 (online).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1951
author
Allport, Gordon W.
maker
Houghton Mifflin Company
Vernon, Phillip E.
Lindzey, Gardner
ID Number
1990.0034.069
accession number
1990.0034
catalog number
1990.0034.069

Victor Automatic Calculator

This ten-key printing electric adding machine has a brown metal frame, ten brown numeral keys in a block, and three levers. One bar is marked C, another marked -, and a third has no mark. A red button is at the top right of the keyboard.
Description
This ten-key printing electric adding machine has a brown metal frame, ten brown numeral keys in a block, and three levers. One bar is marked C, another marked -, and a third has no mark. A red button is at the top right of the keyboard. The place indicator is above the number keys, and the printing mechanism and motor are at the back. The machine adds numbers with as many as ten digits and prints 11-digit results. An electric cord extends out the back. The four feet are rubber. A roll of paper tape is in the machine. Another roll of tape was received with the accession.
The machine resembles that shown in a 1961 photograph at the time of the merger of Victor Adding Machine Company and Felt & Tarrant Adding Machine Company. The machine is marked: 1535-613 (/) 73 85 54B. It is also marked: MADE BY VICTOR ADDING MACHINE CO. (/) CHICAGO. U.S.A. (/) U.S.A. PATENT No2834542 (/) BRITISH PATENT No 787 507. A Victor adding machine with serial number 1,535,613 dates from 1959 according to the National Office Machine Dealer’s Association.
References:
NOMDA’s Blue Book: Approximate January 1st Ages Adding Machines and Calculator Retail Prices, November, 1980, p. 57.
E. Darby, It All Adds Up: The Growth of Victor Comptometer Corporation, Victor Comptometer Corporation, 1968, p. 131.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1959
maker
Victor Adding Machine Company
ID Number
1991.0791.01
maker number
1535613
accession number
1991.0791
catalog number
1991.0791.01

Psychological Test, Selections from the Binet Scale

This typed sheet lists questions selected from the Binet scale of intelligence that can be asked of individual subjects to estimate their mental age. The queries are grouped into seven categories – personal, time, pictures, drawing of design, perception, memory, and number.
Description
This typed sheet lists questions selected from the Binet scale of intelligence that can be asked of individual subjects to estimate their mental age. The queries are grouped into seven categories – personal, time, pictures, drawing of design, perception, memory, and number. Listed next to each task is the age at which a child is expected to be able to do it (e.g. under time - knowing whether it is morning or afternoon, age six). This test is undated and does not seem to have been formerly distributed. Ages assigned to the tasks range from three years to fourteen years. It is stamped with the name of Samuel L. Kavruck, the donor.
For related materials, see MA.316371.061, MA.316372.27, etc.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1934
ID Number
1990.0034.024
catalog number
1990.0034.024
accession number
1990.0034

Pyschological Test, Personal Index

This test for junior high school boys was coauthored by Graham C. Loofbourow (1899-1945), then of the Berkeley Public Schools and Noel Keys (1893-1948) of the department of education at the University of California.
Description
This test for junior high school boys was coauthored by Graham C. Loofbourow (1899-1945), then of the Berkeley Public Schools and Noel Keys (1893-1948) of the department of education at the University of California. The “Personal Index” was designed to locate those boys likely to exhibit problem behavior in school, the better to improve remedial work. It was published by the Educational Test Service of Minneapolis, first appearing in 1933.
Reference:
Loofbourow, G. Crain, Test Materials for Problem Behavior Tendencies in Junior High School Boys Berkeley: University of California Press, 1932.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Keys, Noel
Loofbourow, Graham C.
ID Number
1990.0034.072
accession number
1990.0034
catalog number
1990.0034.072

Contex Adding Machine

This non-listing adding machine has a gray plastic case and gray and white plastic keys. The ten white numeral keys are on the top right, with the zero bar three times as long as the others. To the left of the numeral keys are four function keys marked C, X, Div, and -.
Description
This non-listing adding machine has a gray plastic case and gray and white plastic keys. The ten white numeral keys are on the top right, with the zero bar three times as long as the others. To the left of the numeral keys are four function keys marked C, X, Div, and -. A red plastic place marker is controlled by two keys beneath it. The large actuating bar is on the right. Results appear in 11 windows at the front of the machine. Numbers up to ten digits long can be entered. A twelfth window, to the right of the others, shows the number of times the actuating bar has been pressed. Instructions for operating the machine are given on a sticker attached to the bottom. The four plastic feet are rubber-covered.
The machine is marked on the front and on back: BDC CONTEX. It has serial number on a paper tag attached to the back: 516272. It is marked on the back: BOHN DUPLICATOR CORP. (/) New York 16, New York, U.S.A. (/) MADE IN DENMARK (/) PATENTS PENDING. Bohn would later distribute electronic calculators.
Given to donor Michael Sherman by a friend, Jack Schuss, but never used by donor.
Reference:
Accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965
distributor
Bohn Duplicator Corporation
ID Number
1995.0018.01
accession number
1995.0018
catalog number
1995.0018.01

Documentation, Typing

This paper notebook relating to secretarial training contains a six samples of text to be typed with counts of the number of keystrokes; a test typed without keystrokes counted; and a card listing the number of strokes, the corresponding words per minute typed, and corresponding
Description
This paper notebook relating to secretarial training contains a six samples of text to be typed with counts of the number of keystrokes; a test typed without keystrokes counted; and a card listing the number of strokes, the corresponding words per minute typed, and corresponding letter grades.There are also tests of dictation, giving the time required for reading lines assuming different rates of words per minute typed.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1989.0710.76
catalog number
1989.0710.76
accession number
1989.0710

Sheet, Directions for Use of Card (For use with Pressey Diagnostic Tests in Fundamental Reading Habits)

Luella C. Pressey (1893-1970 - born Luella Winifred Cole) of Ohio State University published the “Pressey Diagnostic Tests in Fundamental Reading” in 1928.
Description
Luella C. Pressey (1893-1970 - born Luella Winifred Cole) of Ohio State University published the “Pressey Diagnostic Tests in Fundamental Reading” in 1928. They were individual tests, intended for grades two through eight, and had sections on eye movements, vocalization, and vocabulary. This card was designed for use with those tests.
For other tests by Pressey, see MA.316371.053, 1990.0034.135, 1990.0034.136, 1990.0034.137, 1990.0034.138, and 1990.0034.139.
References:
Public School Publishing Company, “New Tests [Advertisement],” The Journal of Educational Research, 1928, 18, # 4, back matter. The test also was advertised in the same journal in 1930.
Indiana University, Bulletin of the School of Education, 1, 1924, p. 115.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Pressey, L. W.
publisher
Public School Publishing Company
ID Number
1990.0034.136
accession number
1990.0034
catalog number
1990.0034.136

Psychological Test, MacQuarrie Test for Mechanical Ability

Thomas W. Macquarrie (1879-1963), was born in Ontario, Canada, and attended normal school and taught for a time in Wisconsin. He then served as a principal of a private boy’s school. At the time of World War I, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of major.
Description
Thomas W. Macquarrie (1879-1963), was born in Ontario, Canada, and attended normal school and taught for a time in Wisconsin. He then served as a principal of a private boy’s school. At the time of World War I, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of major. After the war, he studied psychology at King’s College, London. Macquarrie then enrolled at Stanford University, earning his bachelor’s, master’s and PhD. in the space of four years. After a brief time at the University of Southern California, he became president of San Jose State College, serving in this capacity from 1927 until his retirement in 1952.
The “Macquarrie Test for Mechanical Ability” is based on his dissertation work. It is a group performance test designed for the use of school counselors and personnel managers. This example, copyrighted 1925, is a sixteen-page stapled pamphlet divided into seven subtests named tracing, tapping, dotting, copying, location, blocks, and pursuit.
The donor of the object, David Gold, worked as a personnel officer from the 1920s into the 1970s. In this capacity, he accumulated a variety of paper-and-pencil tests which he donated to the Smithsonian in 1989. This is one of them.
References:
T. W. Macquarrie, “A Measure of Mechanical Ability,” PhD. Dissertation. Stanford University, 1924.
T. W. Macquarrie, “A Mechanical Ability Test,” Journal of Personnel Research, January 1927.
“Dr. MacQuarrie’s Funeral Today,” Spartan Daily, November 18, 1963, p. 1.
Accession File.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1925
author
MacQuarrie, T. W.
publisher
California Test Bureau
ID Number
1989.0710.05
accession number
1989.0710
catalog number
1989.0710.05

Psychological Test, General Classification Test 1a

In September of 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared a limited national emergency in the United States, increasing the size of the Army and the National Guard.
Description
In September of 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared a limited national emergency in the United States, increasing the size of the Army and the National Guard. The Adjutant General’s Office consulted with several psychologists about developing tests to sort the new personnel. By the end of 1940, the War Shipping Administration had published this General Classification Test 1a. Three more editions of what came to be called the Army General Classification Test (AGCT) followed.
For related materials, see 1989.0710.60 and 1989.0710.61.
Reference:
James H. Capshew, Psychologists on the March: Science, Practice and Professional Identity in America, 1929-1969, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999, pp. 99-104.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940
author
War Shipping Administration
ID Number
1989.0710.29
catalog number
1989.0710.29
accession number
1989.0710

Hex Adder

This black and silver-colored aluminum adder has an aluminum stylus. The instrument fits in a black plastic sleeve with three identical paper charts. The adder has six columns and shows six-digit totals.
Description
This black and silver-colored aluminum adder has an aluminum stylus. The instrument fits in a black plastic sleeve with three identical paper charts. The adder has six columns and shows six-digit totals. The top part of the column is used for adding numbers, with 0 to 9 to A to F in each column. The letters represent 10 to 15 in a hexadecimal (base 16) number system. The lower part of the band is similarly divided and used for subtraction. The columns are notched at both top and bottom to allow for carrying and borrowing. Moving up a metal piece below the columns with the stylus clears the instrument.
The three sheets of paper are divided to inches along both edges. On the right edge, each inch is divided to 15 parts, and the divisions are numbered up to 159 (every third division actually has a number next to it). On the left edge, each inch is divided into 12 parts, and the parts are numbered up to 126. On the right-hand scale of each sheet, the space from 18 to 33 is marked, as is the space from 126 to 142. There also are single marks at 41 and 118. These sheets were used to measure either lines per inch or characters per inch in planning printouts.
According to the website of Hexco, Inc., the firm was started in 1967 by Tom and Linda Tarrant, both of whom had been system engineers with IBM. The HEX adder was the firm's first product. According to records of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the term Hex Adder was first used in commerce in March 19, 1968 and trademarked February 4, 1969. As the mark on the instrument indicates that the name was trademarked, it seems likely that the instrument dates from about 1970. It was given to the Smithsonian by COBOL programmer Joan P. Nichols.
References: Website of Hexco, Inc., accessed March 2, 2010. Records of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970
maker
HEXCO, Inc.
ID Number
1996.0052.01
catalog number
1996.0052.01
accession number
1996.0052

Pamphlet, Educational Clinic the College of the City of New York, Photograph of Arnold Gesell

This museum number covers a photograph of Arnold Gesell and a pamphlet relating to the Educational Clinic of the College of the City of New York.Currently not on view
Description
This museum number covers a photograph of Arnold Gesell and a pamphlet relating to the Educational Clinic of the College of the City of New York.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1990.0034.175
accession number
1990.0034
catalog number
1990.0034.175

Flexible Ruler Invented by Frank G. Hunt

Frank G. Hunt of Buffalo, N.Y., designed this flexible steel rule for drawing straight lines on curved surfaces, such as those of ledger books. The rule has no scales, but it has a small round metal handle in the middle of the front.
Description
Frank G. Hunt of Buffalo, N.Y., designed this flexible steel rule for drawing straight lines on curved surfaces, such as those of ledger books. The rule has no scales, but it has a small round metal handle in the middle of the front. Nine rectangular clips on the back hold several layers of paper covered by a metal rectangle. The middle clip is marked: EXP. ACC'T. F. G. HUNT (/) PAT'D. FEB.25.02 (/) BUFFALO, N.Y. Hunt distributed the rule via the Hunt Ruler Company in Buffalo at least as late as 1920. By 1922, he had passed away but the firm was expanding.
References: Frank G. Hunt, "Flexible Ruler" (U.S. Patent 694,061 issued February 25, 1902); "Buyers' Reference Bureau: Rulers: Metal or Steel," The American Stationer and Office Outfitter 86, no. 18 (May 8, 1920): 102; "Hunt Ruler Company Expanding," Office Appliances 36 (July 1922): 49; Buffalo Historical Society, "Buffalonians More or Less Noted, Who Died in 1922," in Reports of the President and Secretary (Buffalo, 1923), 46.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1902–ca 1922
inventor; patentee
Hunt, Frank G.
ID Number
1991.0694.02
accession number
1991.0694
catalog number
1991.0694.02

Pickett Elementary Simplex Math Slide Rule Instructions

Maurice L. Hartung, a mathematics professor at the University of Chicago, wrote this 48-page booklet in 1965. It sold separately for $1.00, but it was also included with Pickett's N901 simplex slide rule (1995.0126.02). John W.
Description
Maurice L. Hartung, a mathematics professor at the University of Chicago, wrote this 48-page booklet in 1965. It sold separately for $1.00, but it was also included with Pickett's N901 simplex slide rule (1995.0126.02). John W. Pickett marketed that rule to teachers and students from the second grade up.
The instructions are structured as a workbook, requiring students to fill in a blank for each numbered item. The items both explain the slide rule's functions and test students' comprehension. The answers are printed in the right margin of each page. The manual covers addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, proportion and percent, scientific notation, decimal points, squares and square roots, and the C, D, CI, and L scales. The inside back cover advertises the benefits of Pickett all metal slide rules and provides instructions for caring for the slide rule.
The ten-digit phone number for Pickett, Inc., in Santa Barbara, Calif., is written in ink on the back cover of the booklet, above the printed copyright date and company address.
References: Greg Scott, "Pickett – Elementary Simplex Math Slide Rule," http://sliderule.ozmanor.com/man/man020-pickn901es-01.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1965
date received
1995
author
Hartung, Maurice L.
ID Number
1995.0126.02.01
accession number
1995.0126
catalog number
1995.0126.02.01

Psychological Test with Instructions, Primary Business Interests Test

This pink typed manual is for a psychological test is by Alfred J. Cardall (1902-1962) who obtained his B.A. from Boston University in 1924, his M.B.A. there in 1927, and his doctorate in education from Harvard University in 1941.
Description
This pink typed manual is for a psychological test is by Alfred J. Cardall (1902-1962) who obtained his B.A. from Boston University in 1924, his M.B.A. there in 1927, and his doctorate in education from Harvard University in 1941. Cardall worked as the director of the Test Service Division at Science Research Associates from 1941 to 1943 and spent much of the rest of his career as a consultant. The manual in the collections indicates that at the time it was written (1941) Cardall was director of industrial relations at John B. Stetson Company in Philadelphia.
According to the manual, the test had two purposes. First, it could assist a vocational counselor in finding the area in which an individual was most likely to find job satisfaction. Second, it could help a high school or college student quickly find the appropriate program for business education.
Cardall also developed a test of arithmetic reasoning that was published as late as 1960.
References:
American Psychological Association, 1962 Directory, ed. James Q. Holsopple, Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 1962, p. 108.
“CAB is Continuing Plane Crash Probe,” The Levittown Times from Levittown, Pennsylvania, February 20, 1962.
Cardall, Alfred J. A Test for Primary Business Interests Based on a Functional Occupational Classification, Ed. D. Dissertation, Harvard University, 1941.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1941
maker
Cardall, Jr., Alfred J.
publisher
Science Research Assoc. Inc.
ID Number
1989.0710.32
catalog number
1989.0710.32
accession number
1989.0710

Keuffel & Esser 1392P Open Divided Scale

This 13" boxwood scale rule has a white celluloid coating along both long edges. The top edge has scales for 1" and 1/2" to the foot.
Description
This 13" boxwood scale rule has a white celluloid coating along both long edges. The top edge has scales for 1" and 1/2" to the foot. Between these scales is a scale divided to 1/2", numbered from left to right by ones from 1 to 11, and numbered from right to left by ones from 0 to 21. The bottom edge has scales for 1/8" and 1/4" to the foot. Between these scales is a scale divided to 1/8", numbered from left to right by fours from 0 to 96, and numbered from right to left by twos from 0 to 48. The middle of the rule is marked: PARAGON 1392P K+E KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. The back of the rule is marked: D. B.
Keuffel & Esser of New York City began using the logo shown on this object in 1943, but did not start printing it on instruments until 1949. That year, model 1392P sold for $4.00. The company changed its model numbers in 1962.
Isaac Giacinto Molella, who worked as an electrical engineer for General Electric in the United States, North Africa, and Europe in the 1950s, owned this scale. Presumably he acquired it secondhand from someone with the initials D.B.
References: Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 40th ed. (New York, 1944), 128; K+E Price List, 41st ed. (New York, 1949); Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 42nd ed. (New York, 1954), 180.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1949–1962
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1992.0433.04
accession number
1992.0433
catalog number
1992.0433.04

Dalton Model 181-4 Adding Machine

This ten-key printing manual adding machine has a brown case and two rows of white plastic keys with digits and complementary numbers for subtraction. Multiply and non-add keys are on the left, and backspace and subtract keys on the right.
Description
This ten-key printing manual adding machine has a brown case and two rows of white plastic keys with digits and complementary numbers for subtraction. Multiply and non-add keys are on the left, and backspace and subtract keys on the right. The place indicator is above the keyboard, with a metal correction key to the left of it. Above and to the right are release, total, and subtotal keys. The printing mechanism and narrow carriage are toward the back; the ribbon prints in both red and black. In addition to entries and totals, the machine prints symbols that indicate totals and subtotals. The non-print key is next to the ribbon. A 2-1/2” paper tape is in place. A serrated edge above the platen is used to tear the paper tape. The metal crank with wooden handle is on the right. The handle is covered with a brown cracking substance. There are four rubber feet. The machine accepts entries of up to eight digits and prints results of up to eight digits.
The machine is marked on the front: Dalton (/) CINCINNATI, OHIO. (/) U.S.A. It is marked below the crank with the serial number: NO209439. It is marked on the place indicator with the model number: 181. It is marked on the inside of the cover: 9-7-64.
This closely resembles the Model 181-4 machine described in The Business Machines and Equipment Digest, ca. 1928, Sec 3-1, pp. 14, 19. This was the “Special $100 Machine.”
Compare to MA.336932 and MA.334402.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1928
maker
Dalton Adding Machine Company
ID Number
1990.0316.03
accession number
1990.0316
maker number
209439
catalog number
333874

Psychological Test, Columbia Research Bureau English Test. Form A

This test was coauthored by Harrison R. Steeves (1881-1981), an associate professor of English at Columbia University; Allan Abbott (1876-1956), an associate professor of English at Teachers College of Columbia University, and Ben D.
Description
This test was coauthored by Harrison R. Steeves (1881-1981), an associate professor of English at Columbia University; Allan Abbott (1876-1956), an associate professor of English at Teachers College of Columbia University, and Ben D. Wood (1894-1986), associate professor and Director of the Bureau of Collegiate Educational Research at Columbia. It is designed for students in the upper high school grades and college. It was copyrighted by Steeves in 1925 and by World Book Company, the publisher, in 1926.
The test is in four parts. The first is a multiple choice spelling tests, where the student is to select the correct spelling from four choices. The second tests accuracy in composition, requiring insertion of omitted punctuation and corrections in errors in form. The third part is a test of vocabulary, requiring selection from among choices offered the term most nearly like a given word. The fourth and final part is a test of literary knowledge.
The battery was designed as a possible basis for assigning high school grades in English, as a standard for college entrance, as a guide to modifying emphasis in teaching, and for guidance purposes.
References:
“Harrison Steeves Dies at 100; Taught English at Columbia,” New York Times, August 4, 1981, p. B10.
Abbott, A., F. T. Baker, E. Hays, and L. Grey, A. A., Teacher of English Teachers; Some of his Writings on Teaching and Literary Art New York: Teachers College, Columbia University, 1941.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1926
author
Steeves, Harrison R.
Abbott, Allan
Wood, Ben D.
publisher
World Book Company
ID Number
1990.0034.102
catalog number
1990.0034.102
accession number
1990.0034

Psychological Test Score Sheet, Vineland Social Maturity Scale

Edgar A. Doll (1889-1968) was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended Cornell University where he majored in education but also studied psychology under Edward B. Titchener.
Description
Edgar A. Doll (1889-1968) was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended Cornell University where he majored in education but also studied psychology under Edward B. Titchener. He then worked at the Vineland Training School in New Jersey, where he met and married Agnes Louise Martz in 1914. In 1916 he obtained his master of education degree from New York University, writing a dissertation on anthropometry as an aid to mental diagnosis. During World War I, Doll volunteered to do psychological testing in the Sanitary Corps of the U.S. Army. Afterward, he returned to graduate work, completing a PhD. from Princeton in 1920 and being appointed as the New Jersey state psychologist. He then taught for a time at Ohio State University before returning to head research at the Vineland Training School from 1925 until his retirement in 1953. He and his wife then moved to Bellingham, Washington, where he served as a consultant to the local public schools.
Doll found that contemporary psychological tests did not measure the social competence of individuals – two people with the same IQ might differ considerably in their self-sufficiency and social usefulness. For this reason, he developed a scale of “social maturity.” The Vineland Social Maturity Scale was copyrighted in 1936 by the Department of Research at Vineland. These are blank score sheets for two versions of the test. The first apparently was published at Vineland and is not dated. The second is the Experimental Form B (Revised 1/15/36), published by the Psychological Corporation. It contains 117 questions and is four pages long. The traits and abilities on the test begin with basic cognitive function and become increasingly complex.
Compare 1983.00168.07 and 1990.0034.051. See also 1990.0034.049, 1990.0034.050 and 1990.0034.052 through 1990.0034.054.
References:
American Psychological Association, 1962 Directory, ed. James Q. Holsopple, Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 1962, p. 174.
Eugene E. Doll, “Edgar A. Doll: A Career of Research and Application,” Portraits of Pioneers in Psychology, eds. Gregory A. Kimble, C. Alan Boneau, Michael Wertheimer, New York: Psychology Press, 1996, vol. II, esp. pp. 167-183.
Leila Zenderland, Measuring Minds: Henry Herbert Goddard and the Origins of American Intelligence Testing, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1936
maker
Doll, Edgar A.
ID Number
1990.0034.051
accession number
1990.0034
catalog number
1990.0034.051

Psychological Test, Michigan Vocabulary Profile Test. AM

In 1928, the University of Michigan resolved to establish a department of psychology, independent of philosophy. In part toward that end, they hired Edward Barrows Greene, a 1918 graduate of Amherst College who received his PhD. from Columbia University that year.
Description
In 1928, the University of Michigan resolved to establish a department of psychology, independent of philosophy. In part toward that end, they hired Edward Barrows Greene, a 1918 graduate of Amherst College who received his PhD. from Columbia University that year. Greene (1895-1981) was much interested in testing and clinical psychology. In 1939, he published this test of vocabulary for use in vocational counseling and selection for employment or promotion. It includes vocabulary divided into the eight areas of human relations, commerce, government, physical sciences, biological sciences, mathematics, fine arts, and sports. Two forms were provided – this is form AM. World Book Company published the test. The exam would be revised with a new edition in 1949 (see 1990.0034.165).
References:
Greene, E.B., “The Michigan Vocabulary Profile Test after Ten Years,” Educational and Psychological Measurement, 11 #2, 1951, pp. 208-211.
Greene, E. B., Measurements of Human Behavior, New York: Odyssey Press, 1941.
“History of the University of Michigan Department of Psychology,” at a website of the University of Michigan.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1939
maker
World Book Company
author
Greene, Edward B.
ID Number
1989.0710.24
accession number
1989.0710
catalog number
1989.0710.24

Psychological Test, Gates Primary Reading Test. Type 1. Word Recognition. Form 1

Arthur I. Gates (1890-1972) obtained his Bachelor of Law (1914) and his M.A. (1915) from the University of California at Berkeley and his PhD. from Columbia University (1917).
Description
Arthur I. Gates (1890-1972) obtained his Bachelor of Law (1914) and his M.A. (1915) from the University of California at Berkeley and his PhD. from Columbia University (1917). He spent the rest of his career on the faculty of Teachers College at Columbia, putting special emphasis on the study of reading and language arts. Teachers College published his tests. Gates not only was the author of reading tests at several levels but of textbooks and basal readers.
Gates divided his test into three “types” of skills. Type 1, tested here, is word recognition. This form of the exam, which was designed for primary students (grades 1 and 2), was copyrighted in 1926 and filled out in 1938. It is Form 1 of this test.
Compare 1990.0034.074, 1990.0034.075, 1990.0034.076, 1990.0034.077, 1990.0034.078, 1990.0034.079, 1990.0034.092, and 1990.0034.093.
References:
American Psychological Association, 1962 Directory, ed. James Q. Holsopple, Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 1962, p. 244.
MacGinitie, Walter, “The Contribution of Arthur I. Gates,” Conference of the International Reading Association, St. Louis, 1981. This is online at a site known as yumpu.com, accessed April 20, 2020.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1926
maker
Gates, A. I.
publisher
Columbia University. Teachers College
ID Number
1990.0034.078
accession number
1990.0034
catalog number
1990.0034.078

Nestler 23R Simplex Slide Rule

This one-sided, ten-inch wooden slide rule has lengths of white celluloid screwed to all sides except the back. The indicator is glass with metal edges. The top edge of the base has a scale of 28 cm, divided to millimeters.
Description
This one-sided, ten-inch wooden slide rule has lengths of white celluloid screwed to all sides except the back. The indicator is glass with metal edges. The top edge of the base has a scale of 28 cm, divided to millimeters. The scales on the base and one side of the slide are not labeled. The top of the base has a scale divided logarithmically from 1 to 1,000 (i.e., from 1 to 10 three times) and a scale divided logarithmically from 1 to 100 (1 to 10 twice), which is repeated on the front of the slide. These are equivalent to K, A, and B scales. The second scale on the slide is divided logarithmically from 10 to 1. The third scale on the slide and the first scale on the bottom of the base are divided logarithmically from 1 to 10. These are equivalent to CI, C, and D scales. The bottom scale on the base is divided from 0.1 to 1.0 in equal parts (i.e., an L scale).
The scales on the back of the slide are lettered S, S&T, and T. Underneath the slide is a centimeter scale, marked from 30 to 56 and divided to millimeters. The instrument is marked there: Tailhade & Cia., Cangallo 445 Bs. - Aires SYSTEM REITZ No 23 R ALBERT NESTLER A.-G. LAHR i/B. D.R.G.M. D.R.PATENT Industria Alemana. The front of the instrument has a scale of equal parts labeled 1:25. Tables of constants and material properties, in Spanish, are on paper pasted to the back of the instrument. A cardboard box covered with black synthetic leather is marked: Albert Nestler A.G. (/) D.R.Patent Rietz No 23 RF (/) Industria Alemana. The box is also marked TAILHADE & Cia. (/) CANGALLO 445 (/) Bs. Aires.
The German firm of Albert Nestler established a factory in Lahr in 1878. (The "i/B" marked on the rule stands for "in Baden.") In 1902 Nestler began to offer slide rules with the arrangement of scales proposed that year by German engineer Max Rietz. These included the K and L scales, with the CI and ST (called S&T on this example) scales added about two decades later. The company held numerous German patents. Nestler first advertised model 23 with Rietz scales in 1907. The donor purchased this rule at a bookstore in Argentina around 1940, which is about the same time that Nestler stopped attaching celluloid to rules with screws.
Reference: Guus Craenen, "Albert Nestler: Innovation and Quality," Journal of the Oughtred Society 11, no. 1 (2002): 38–46; Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 34, 64–68, 118; Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 96, 98.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940
maker
Albert Nestler
ID Number
1991.0445.01
accession number
1991.0445
catalog number
1991.0445.01

Research Triangle Poster

This poster depicts some of the biotechnology firms of North Carolina’s “Research Triangle” in 1992. It was created by artists Kat Wilson and Jay Jung for Synergistic Designs, a promotional media publisher.For more information, see object 1994.3092.01.
Description (Brief)
This poster depicts some of the biotechnology firms of North Carolina’s “Research Triangle” in 1992. It was created by artists Kat Wilson and Jay Jung for Synergistic Designs, a promotional media publisher.
For more information, see object 1994.3092.01.
date made
1992
maker
Synergistic Designs
ID Number
1994.3092.03
catalog number
1994.3092.03
nonaccession number
1994.3092

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