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.

Resource Type: Slide rules

Keuffel & Esser 4071 Duplex Slide Rule

This ten-inch mahogany duplex linear slide rule is coated with celluloid on the front and back only; the edges are bare. The indicator is glass with metal screws and plastic sides. On both sides, there is an A scale on the top of the base and a D scale on the bottom of the base.
Description
This ten-inch mahogany duplex linear slide rule is coated with celluloid on the front and back only; the edges are bare. The indicator is glass with metal screws and plastic sides. On both sides, there is an A scale on the top of the base and a D scale on the bottom of the base. One side of the slide has B and C scales; there are BI and CI scales on the other side.
On the front (CD) side, the bottom of the base is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PAT. JUNE 5. '00 DEC. 22. '08. The slide is marked on the left side: < 4071 >. The top edge of the indicator is marked: K&E.CO.N.Y. (/) PAT.8.17.15. The back of the rule is not marked.
Keuffel & Esser of New York sold this model of slide rule from 1901 to 1917. Head of manufacturing Willie Keuffel took out patents for improving the ability to adjust duplex slide rules in 1900 and 1908. The "frameless" style of indicator found on this example was introduced in 1915, after Keuffel's patent for that improvement was granted on August 15 of that year. Assuming that the indicator is original, the rule dates from 1915–1917. It sold for $5.00. Compare this example, donated to the Smithsonian by K&E in 1961, to the earlier versions MA.318477 and MA.326613.
References: Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule" (U.S. Patent 651,142 issued June 5, 1900); Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule" (U.S. Patent 907,373 issued December 22, 1908); Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule Runner" (U.S. Patent 1,150,771 issued August 17, 1915); Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 35th ed. (New York, 1915), 302–303.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1915-1917
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.318475
catalog number
318475
accession number
235479

Scofield-Thacher Engineer's Slide Rule

The scales on this 22-inch, two-sided wooden slide rule are printed on paper. The front has two scales on the left end of the base labeled B and C and two scales labeled A on the left end of the slide. These scales run half the length of the instrument.
Description
The scales on this 22-inch, two-sided wooden slide rule are printed on paper. The front has two scales on the left end of the base labeled B and C and two scales labeled A on the left end of the slide. These scales run half the length of the instrument. The B and two A scales are identical, divided logarithmically from left to right and running from 1 to 10. The C scale is divided logarithmically from right to left and runs from 10 to 1. It is labeled RECIPROCALS.
The right end of the base has two D scales, both labeled ROOTS, with two additional A scales on the right end of the slide. The A scales are divided logarithmically from left to right and run from 1 to 10. The top D scale runs from 1 to 3.16 and shows square roots of the numbers on the A scale below it. The bottom D scale runs from 3.16 to 10 and shows square roots of the numbers on the A scale above it, between 10 and 100. Written in pencil on the back of the slide and underneath the slide is the number 1096.
The back of the rule contains two scales on the base labeled F and two scales on the slide labeled E. The top F scale runs the length of the scale and is divided logarithmically from 1 to 10. The sections between 1 and 2, between 2 and 3, between 3 and 4, and between 4 and 5 are subdivided. The lower F scale is similarly divided, but starts from the center of the rule (running from the square root of 10, or 3.16, to 10 and then from 1 to the square root of 10). The E scales are identical to the adjacent F scales. Written in pencil on the back of the slide and underneath the slide is the number 1097.
The bottom of the base on both sides is marked: Patented July 2, 1901. The top edge of the rule is marked: THE ENGINEERS (/) SLIDE RULE. It is also marked: From E. M. Scofield, Bridge Engineer. (/) Sta. A, – Youngstown, – Ohio. (/) Rule sent prepaid on receipt of price. (/) Factory, – Youngstown, Ohio. The paper pasted on this edge also has the formula ex/f, a description of how to solve this formula with the instrument, and tables of equivalents. The bottom edge of the rule gives seventeen more formulas and instructions. It is marked: DIRECTIONS FOR SCALES A • B • C & D (/) FOR "Op." READ "OPPOSITE" (/) FOR "—" READ "ON SCALE" (/) FOR "Ans." READ "FIND ANSWER" (/) FOR LAST SIX PROBLEMS REVERSE SLIDE.
Edson Mason Scofield (1867–1939) developed this rule in 1891, while he worked for Edwin Thacher (inventor of the cylindrical slide rule bearing his name; see, for example, MA.312866). Thacher applied for a patent on the design in 1900 and assigned a half-interest to Scofield when the patent was issued in 1901. According to the instrument, Scofield may have distributed the rule himself. It was also sold by Eugene Dietzgen Company of Chicago from about 1901 through at least 1931. The price for model 1787 ranged from $5.00 to $7.00. By 1926, Dietzgen marked the rule with its company name. This instrument is identical to MA.325990.
John N. Welsh (1904–1999), the donor of this slide rule, was a chemical engineer who obtained his B.S. from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1925. He was associated with Hall Laboratories, Inc. of Pittsburgh (later CALGON) from 1939 through at least 1968. By 1972, when this slide rule was briefly placed on exhibit, Welsh was living in Florida.
References: Edwin Thacher, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 677,817 issued July 2, 1901); Catalogue & Price List of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 7th ed. (Chicago, 1904), 173; Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 12th ed. (Chicago, 1926), 177; Conrad Schure, "The Scofield-Thacher Slide Rule," Journal of the Oughtred Society 3, no. 1 (1994): 20–25; Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 161; Who's Who in Engineering (New York and West Palm Beach: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1964), 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1901-1926
maker
Scofield, E. M.
ID Number
MA.333710
catalog number
333710
accession number
300658

Keuffel & Esser 4012 Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rule

This desktop slide rule is in a wooden case that is significantly deteriorated on its inside. The rule has a cylindrical brass drum covered with paper printed with forty A scales. A wooden handle is fastened to each end of the drum.
Description
This desktop slide rule is in a wooden case that is significantly deteriorated on its inside. The rule has a cylindrical brass drum covered with paper printed with forty A scales. A wooden handle is fastened to each end of the drum. The drum fits in an open rotating brass frame; twenty brass slats span the frame. The right side of the paper on the drum is printed 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.
The slats are lined with cloth and covered with paper. Each slat is printed with two B and two C scales. 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 fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The first C scale runs from 100 to 334; the fortieth runs from 308 to 305.
The frame is screwed to a mahogany base. A paper with instructions is glued to the top front of the base. An ivory label for Keuffel & Esser Co. is screwed to the front right corner. The top back of the base is engraved: KEUFFEL & ESSER Co (encircling N.Y.); 4012 (/) 1689; TRADE MARK (below the K&E lion logo). Another ivory K&E label is fastened inside the lid of the case. A paper K&E label pasted inside the lid is stamped in faded purple ink: No. 4013 (/) Serial 1689. Written in pencil is: Mar 22/07.
The Thacher cylindrical slide rule was sized for a desk, but its scales were equivalent to those on a conventional slide rule over 59 feet long. It had scales for multiplication, division, and squares and square roots. There were no trigonometric scales.
Keuffel & Esser sold model 4012 from 1900 to about 1950. The markings and serial number indicate this example dates to 1907. Model 4012 cost $35.00 in 1909. The U.S. Department of Agriculture transferred this example to the Smithsonian in 1964.
See also MA.312866, MA.326628, and MA.323504.
References: Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 33rd ed. (New York, 1909), 304.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1907
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.322730
accession number
252315
maker number
1689
catalog number
322730

Keuffel & Esser 4081-3 Log Log Decitrig Duplex Slide Rule

This ten-inch mahogany duplex slide rule is coated with white celluloid. There are LL02, LL03, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales on one side of the base, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The right side of the slide is marked in red: © (/) K + E.
Description
This ten-inch mahogany duplex slide rule is coated with white celluloid. There are LL02, LL03, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales on one side of the base, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The right side of the slide is marked in red: © (/) K + E. On the other side of the base, there are LL01, L, K, A, D, DI, and LL1 scales, with B, T, SRT, and S scales on the slide. The left end of the slide is marked: 320858. The left end of the top and the bottom of the base are both marked: 858. The indicator is glass, with white plastic edges held together with metal screws. Keuffel & Esser used this arrangement of scales on this model from 1955 to 1962; the serial number suggests this example was made around 1957.
The top edge of the rule is marked: PATS. PEND. MADE IN U.S.A. 4081-3 LOG LOG DUPLEX DECITRIG ® COPYRIGHT 1947 BY KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. PATS. 2,500,460 2,168,056 2,170,144 2,285,722 2,422,649. These patents were issued between 1939 and 1950. They dealt with the arrangement of scales on a slide rule, in particular so that the user could solve multistep problems without having to write down intermediate settings, and with the placement of a legend to make placing the decimal point easier.
The Keuffel & Esser Company of New York donated this slide rule to the Smithsonian in 1961. In 1959, model 4081-3 sold for $22.50. Model 4081-3, the Log Log Duplex Decitrig, differs from model 4080-3, the Log Log Duplex Trig, in that the degrees on the trigonometric scales are divided into decimals instead of into minutes. Compare to 1992.0437.01 and 2007.0181.01.
References: 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); Lyman M. Kells, Willis F. Kern, and James R. Bland, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,285,722 issued June 9, 1942); James R. Bland, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,422,649 issued June 17, 1947); Herschel Hunt, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,500,460 issued March 14, 1950); Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4081-3 Family of Slide Rules: 4080-3 & 4081-3 Family Groups," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4081-3family.htm; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," 27 December 2000, http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg; K + E Price List, Applying to the 42nd Edition Catalog (Hoboken, N.J., 1959), 73.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1955-1962
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.318482
catalog number
318482
accession number
235479

Keuffel & Esser 4090 Universal Duplex Slide Rule

This ten-inch wood slide rule is faced with white celluloid on both sides. The indentations on the metal end pieces face in, as was typical for Keuffel & Esser slide rules manufactured between 1901 and 1913; compare to MA.326613.
Description
This ten-inch wood slide rule is faced with white celluloid on both sides. The indentations on the metal end pieces face in, as was typical for Keuffel & Esser slide rules manufactured between 1901 and 1913; compare to MA.326613. The brass indicator is in the double chisel style (with an open interior), used from 1891 to about 1909. See also MA.318477 and 1977.0370.01. The edge of the indicator is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (/) NEW-YORK.
The slide has two parts, which fit between the three parts of the base. On one side, the top of the base has an A scale; the top of the slide has B and C scales; the middle of the base has D and DF scales; the bottom of the slide has C and S scales; and the bottom of the base has an A scale. The bottom of the base is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER Co NEW-YORK. On the left edge of the rule, the top and bottom of the base and the slide are all stamped: 5.
On the other side, the top of the base has an A scale; the top of the slide has BI and CI scales; the middle of the base has D and DF scales; the bottom of the slide has CIF, L, and T scales; and the bottom of the base has a D scale. On both sides, the DF scale is unlettered. The CIF scale is incorrectly lettered "CI." Unlike later slide rules, which start at pi, the folded scales on this rule (CF, CIF, and DF) start at the square root of 10 (approximately 3.16).
The bottom of the base on the back is marked in red: PAT. OCT. 6. 1891 & MAR. 21. 1899. The second patent date is in a different font and size than the first. The first patent refers to William Cox's invention of the duplex slide rule, which K&E used to launch its manufacture of American slide rules. William L. E. Keuffel, the company's head of manufacturing, received the second patent for the design of the dual slide seen in this rule.
K&E only used the dual slide on its Universal slide rule, suggesting the concept was not as useful as the company hoped. The dual slide also addressed a limitation of K&E dividing engines, which were only able to cut scales on the edges of rules. Once K&E improved its dividing engines, this solution was no longer necessary. The Universal slide rule sold as model 4090 from 1900 to 1905 and as the model 4090N from 1906 to 1911. From 1900 to 1902, it had a brass chisel indicator; from 1903 to 1905, it had a German silver chisel indicator; and from 1906 to 1911 it had a glass clam shell indicator. This example thus dates to 1900–1902. It sold for $20.00.
References: William Cox, "Engineer's Slide-Rule" (U.S. Patent 460,930 issued October 6, 1891); W. L. E. Keuffel, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 621,348 issued March 21, 1899); Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 30th ed. (New York, 1900–1901), 297; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 31st ed. (New York, 1903), 307; Bob Otnes and Bob DeCesaris, "The K&E Universal Slide Rule," Journal of the Oughtred Society 10, no. 2 (2001): 45–48; Bob Otnes, "The 31st (1903) and 32nd (1906) Editions of the K&E Catalogue," Journal of the Oughtred Society 11, no. 2 (2002): 24–32.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1900-1902
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.318478
catalog number
318478
accession number
235479

Keuffel & Esser N4053-5 Polyphase Mannheim Simplex Slide Rule

This 20-inch mahogany one-sided slide rule is coated with white celluloid. The top edge is beveled and has a simply divided scale 20 inches long that is divided to sixteenths of an inch. The base has A, D, and K scales.
Description
This 20-inch mahogany one-sided slide rule is coated with white celluloid. The top edge is beveled and has a simply divided scale 20 inches long that is divided to sixteenths of an inch. The base has A, D, and K scales. One side of the slide has B, CI, and C scales; S, L, and T scales are on the other side. The A and B scales are divided logarithmically from 1 to 10 twice in the usual manner. The C and D scales are divided logarithmically once from 1 to 10 in the length of the scales in the usual manner. The CI scale is divided logarithmically from 1 to 10 the length of the scale, going in the opposite direction from the other scales. The K scale is divided logarithmically three times in the length of the scale, for use in finding cubes and cube roots. The S scale gives the sines of angles from less than 40 minutes to 90 degrees. The L scale is a scale of equal parts running from 0 to 10. The T scale gives tangents of angles from somewhat less than 6 degrees to 45 degrees.
The front edge has a simply divided scale 50 centimeters long that is divided to millimeters. The indicator is of the "frameless" glass style with plastic edge pieces and metal screws. A paper table of equivalents and slide rule settings, based on U. S. Bureau of Standards Circular No. 47, is pasted to the back of the rule. See also 1981.0933.05 and 1999.0254.01. The instrument fits in a cardboard case covered with black leather that fastens with a snap.
The top of the base is marked in red: PAT. JUNE 5, 1900; KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide has the model number in red: < N4053-5 >. The left end of the other side of the slide and the scale in centimeters are marked with a serial number: 295836. The bottom edge of the indicator is marked: K&E.CO.N.Y. (/) PAT.8.17.15. The flap of the case is marked: K & E (/) POLYPHASE (/) SLIDE RULE (/) 4053–5. The snap on the case is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (/) NEW YORK.
Keuffel & Esser sold an earlier form of this slide rule, with no beveled edge at the top, from 1913 through 1922. The new form of the instrument—with the beveled edge, the K scale on the base instead of on the bottom edge, and the centimeter scale on the bottom edge—sold from 1923 to 1953. The style of the indicator on this slide rule was in use from 1915 through 1934. Illustrations of the 4053 line of slide rules in K&E catalogs depict the patent date of June 5, 1900, from 1925 through 1934. Thus, this example likely dates to 1925–1934; the serial number suggests a date around 1930. Compare also to 1981.0922.05. For documentation, see MA.304213.05. The Interstate Commerce Commission discarded this rule as surplus material in 1963.
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); Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 34th ed. (New York, 1913), 300; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 35th ed. (New York, 1915), 300; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules & Calculating Instruments (New York, 1925), 6; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules & Calculating Instruments (New York, 1934), 6; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 38th ed. (New York, 1936), 312; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," 27 December 2000, http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1925-1934
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.321780
catalog number
321780
accession number
246883

Mack Improved Mannheim Simplex Slide Rule by Dietzgen

This wooden ten-inch Mannheim slide rule is faced with white celluloid. The top edge is beveled and has a scale of inches divided to sixteenths of an inch. The bottom edge is flat and has a scale of centimeters divided to millimeters.
Description
This wooden ten-inch Mannheim slide rule is faced with white celluloid. The top edge is beveled and has a scale of inches divided to sixteenths of an inch. The bottom edge is flat and has a scale of centimeters divided to millimeters. The base has A and D scales, with B and C scales on one side of the slide and S, L, and T scales on the other side of the slide. The L scale is not lettered. The base underneath the slide is marked: EUGENE DIETZGEN CO. CHICAGO–NEW YORK (/) W. F. M. It is also marked: PAT. JUNE 28 1898. The indicator is glass in a metal frame. A paper glued to the back of the rule gives the properties of various substances and equivalents of various weights and measures. Carved into the back is: W.F.M. 1907.
The base of the rule is cut lengthwise into two sections that are joined together by invisible springs. This was intended to create more uniform resistance to the motion of the rule (even if it is fully extended) and to make it possible to straighten the parts of the rule by scraping, should it become warped. A cardboard box covered with burgundy leather is marked: The Mack Improved Slide Rule (/) NO. 1765 (/) EUGENE DIETZGEN CO. (/) CHICAGO. NEW YORK.
This rule is named for John Givan Davis Mack (1867–1924), an early member of the engineering faculty at the University of Wisconsin who taught from 1893 to 1915. On June 28, 1898, he received U.S. Patent 606388 for dividing the base of a slide rule and rejoining the pieces with springs. He assigned the patent to the Eugene Dietzgen Company of Chicago, which first sold a slide rule built on Mack's patent in 1898 and offered this version from 1902 to 1912 for $4.50.
The carved initials are those of the owner, the spectroscopist William F. Meggers (1888–1966), who was long associated with the U.S. National Bureau of Standards. He received his B.A. in physics from Ripon College in 1910, his M.A. in physics from the University of Wisconsin in 1916, and his Ph.D. in physics, mathematics, and astronomy from Johns Hopkins University in 1917. It seems likely that he acquired this rule as a student. For a less precise slide rule associated with Meggers, see 293320.2820. For later slide rule instructions distributed by Dietzgen, see 1981.0933.07.
References: Catalogue & Price List of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 7th ed. (Chicago, 1904), 171; Rodger Shepherd, "Some Distinctive Features of Dietzgen Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996): 42–45; Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 159–160, 276; J. G. D. Mack Papers, University of Wisconsin Archives: U. S. Patent 606388.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1907
maker
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
MA.335270
catalog number
335270
accession number
314637

Poor Line of Position Computer Circular Slide Rule Retailed by Negus

This line of position computer, or mechanical navigator, is essentially a circular slide rule for determining one's location, either from morning or afternoon sightings for longitude or from the St. Hilaire method of finding the line of position.
Description
This line of position computer, or mechanical navigator, is essentially a circular slide rule for determining one's location, either from morning or afternoon sightings for longitude or from the St. Hilaire method of finding the line of position. It has a circular black steel base, a green felt cushioning ring, an engraved brass disc, and a yellowed and warped celluloid disc. The metal and plastic arm that extends over the celluloid disc has a brass thumbscrew at the outer edge. The celluloid disc and arm can rotate together or independently.
The brass disc is calibrated logarithmically in several concentric rings: from 80 to 0 degrees by minute in both directions (altitudes, adjusted by latitude and declination), from 0 to 500 by 1 (numbers), from 100/10/1 to 600/60/6 (logarithms), from 0 to 12 hours (hour angles), from 0 to 70 degrees by 1 X 2 (declinations), from I to XII by I (hour angles), and from 0 to 180 degrees (altitudes and azimuths).
The computer is housed in a square wooden case (lock broken and handle missing) with doors that open from the top. It appears to be impossible to remove the computer from the case. Two copies of an instructional flyer are stored separately (MA.320413.1). These describe the computer as built in two sizes, for military aircraft and for battleships. It is not clear, though, whether the computer was able to place a ship close enough to its actual position (within 0.5 to 9.6 miles, according to the examples in the flyer) to be of use for military purposes around the time of World War I. The scarcity of surviving examples suggests the government and general public had little interest in the instrument. Indeed, aviators preferred inspection tables over slide rules for navigation.
The instrument is engraved near the center: LINE OF POSITION COMPUTER (/) DESIGNED BY (/) CHAS. LANE POOR (/) NEW YORK, U.S.A. (/) PATENT APPLIED FOR.
This computer was sold by the nautical instrument firm founded in 1850 by T. S. & J. D. Negus of New York City. It was invented between 1914 and 1918 (the date of his patent application) by Charles Lane Poor (1866–1951), who earned a Ph.D. under Simon Newcomb at The Johns Hopkins University in 1892. Poor taught at Johns Hopkins until 1899, when he took over his father’s print works in New Jersey. From 1903 to 1944, Poor was professor of celestial mechanics at Columbia University. He was a critic of Einstein’s theory of relativity and an avid yachtsman.
References: Charles Lane Poor, "Navigation Instrument" (U.S. Patent 1,308,748 issued July 1, 1919); Charles Lane Poor, Simplified Navigation for Ships and Aircraft (New York: The Century Co., 1918); Richard Berendzen and Richard Hart, "Poor, Charles Lane," Dictionary of Scientific Biography xi:83–84; National Cyclopaedia of American Biography xxxviii:614; Ronald van Riet, "Position Line Slide Rules: Bygrave and Höhenrechenschieber," https://sites.google.com/site/sliderulesite/position-line-slide-rules.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914-1918
maker
Negus, T. S. & J. D.
ID Number
MA.320413
catalog number
320413
accession number
242377

Lewis & Briggs Four-Sided Gauger's Slide Rule

This is an eight-inch, four-sided boxwood slide rule used for measuring and taxing barrels of liquid. On one end of the rule, the slides on each side have been labeled with the four Roman numerals, I, II, III, and IV.
Description
This is an eight-inch, four-sided boxwood slide rule used for measuring and taxing barrels of liquid. On one end of the rule, the slides on each side have been labeled with the four Roman numerals, I, II, III, and IV. On side I, the base has logarithmic scales that run from 1 to 8 and from 8 to 100. It is labeled Seg St (Segments Standing) at the top left and SS at the bottom right. The slide has two identical C scales, logarithmically divided from 1 to 9. This side was used to estimate the volume of a barrel that was standing vertically and partially filled. The back of the slide lists calculating factors used in computing taxes on various liquors. For instance, the duty on one barrel of vinegar was equivalent to the duty on 7.56 barrels of small beer.
On side II, the base has logarithmic scales that run from 0 to 4 and from 4 to 100. The bottom right corner is labeled SL (Segments Lying) for estimating the volume of a partially filled barrel lying on its side. The slide has two identical B scales, logarithmically divided from 1 to 10. The point 231 is marked W, showing the number of cubic inches in a wine gallon, and pi (314) is marked with a C. The back of the slide has a table of gauge points for converting between volumes in cubic inches and numbers of gallons for substances in square or circular containers.
On side III, the base has an A scale, logarithmically divided from 1 to 10, and an MD (Malt Depth) scale that runs logarithmically in the opposite direction from somewhat less than 3 to 20. Point 2150 on the A scale is marked MB, for the number of cubic inches in a malt bushel, and point 282 is marked A, for the number of cubic inches in an ale gallon. The slide has two identical B scales, logarithmically divided from 1 to 9. The back of the slide has a scale of inches, a scale labeled Spheroid, and a scale labeled 2d Variety. These scales are for determining the diameters of two different shapes of barrels. Underneath the slide is marked: LEWIS & BRIGGS : Makers. No. 52. BOW. LANE. Cheapside. LONDON.
On side IV, the base has a D scale, logarithmically divided from 1 to 3.2 and from 3.2 to 10. Point 17.15 is marked WG, for the diameter in inches of a cylinder that contains one gallon of wine when filled to a depth of one inch. Point 18.95 is marked AG for the diameter of a cylinder containing one gallon of ale. Point 46.3 is marked MS, for the side of a square vessel that contains a solid bushel per inch of depth, and point 52.32 is marked MR, for the side of a square vessel that contains a malt bushel per inch of depth.
The slide has two identical C scales, logarithmically divided from 1 to 10. The back of the slide has a table of divisors for converting between volumes in cubic inches and numbers of gallons for substances in square or circular containers. The numbers in this table are squares of the gauge points in the table on the back of the slide on side II. Underneath the slide is marked: Willm. Wright : April. 30. 1795.
According to Gloria Clifton, the firm of Lewis & Briggs operated in London from at least 1795 to 1799. The Smithsonian acquired this object in 1961.
References: Colin Barnes, "The Customs and Excise Gauging Slide Rule," Journal of the Oughtred Society 4, no. 2 (1995): 53–57; Ron Manley, "Gauging," http://www.sliderules.info/a-to-z/gauging.htm; Gloria Clifton, Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers (London: National Maritime Museum, 1995), 167.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1795
maker
Lewis & Briggs
ID Number
MA.319510
catalog number
319510
accession number
239015

Keuffel & Esser 4045 Mannheim Simplex Slide Rule

This sixteen-inch one-sided wooden slide rule has scales labeled A and D on the base. There are scales labeled B and C on one side of the slide, with S, L, and T scales on the other side.
Description
This sixteen-inch one-sided wooden slide rule has scales labeled A and D on the base. There are scales labeled B and C on one side of the slide, with S, L, and T scales on the other side. The A and B scales are divided logarithmically from 1 to 10 twice; the C and D scales are divided logarithmically from 1 to 10 once. The S scale runs from 0 to 80 degrees, and the T scale from 0 to 45 degrees. The L scale is divided logarithmically from 0 to 10. A scale of 40 centimeters is divided to millimeters on the front edge. A scale of 16 inches divided to 1/16-inch is on the other, beveled edge. The scales are all on white celluloid. A table of numerical ratios and equivalences is attached to the back of the rule. A frameless glass indicator was received with the instrument and noted during cataloguing around 1965, but it is no longer present.
The top of the base is marked in red: PAT. JUNE 5, 1900; KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide is marked in red: < 4045 >. The left end of the back of the slide and the left end of the centimeter scale on the base are both marked with a serial number: 46538. The file for the instrument records that the indicator was marked with a patent date of 8.17.15. Compare to MA.322761 and 1987.0634.01.
Keuffel & Esser first advertised the model 4045 Mannheim slide rule in 1906 and stopped selling it between 1936 and 1939. The date on the indicator suggests that this example was made after mid-1915. If the accession file is correct, the rule was given to the Smithsonian by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1923. However, the presence of a serial number and the lettering of the A, B, C, and D scales suggest a somewhat later date. (K&E began to assign serial numbers in 1923, and a serial number of 46538 indicates a date around 1925.) Additionally, the accession file records that the slide rule had the Signal Corps type number ML–40. According to the 1920 Storage Catalogue for the Corps, an ML–40 slide rule was a ten-inch polyphase duplex slide rule, graduated on both sides with a frameless glass indicator, specifically "Keuffel & Esser Co.'s No. 4088-3, or equal." Thus, it is possible that this example is not the slide rule received with the 1923 accession. There are no known discrepancies in the files for MA.318480 and MA.321778, the K&E model 4088-3 slide rules acquired by the Smithsonian before 1965, though.
References: Wayne E. Feely, "K & E Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 49, no. 5 (June 1996): 50–52, on 51; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," 27 December 2000, http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg; Signal Corps, Storage Catalogue (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1920), 29, 575.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1925
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.308201
accession number
70852
catalog number
308201

Keuffel & Esser 4012 Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rule

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

Keuffel & Esser 4045 Mannheim Simplex Slide Rule

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

Gebr. Wichmann Mannheim Simplex Slide Rule

This five-inch, one-sided cardboard linear slide rule has a metal cursor in the double-chisel style. (Compare to MA.318477 and 1977.0370.01.) There are A and D scales on the base and B and C scales on the slide. The A and B scales are divided logarithmically from 1 to 10 twice.
Description
This five-inch, one-sided cardboard linear slide rule has a metal cursor in the double-chisel style. (Compare to MA.318477 and 1977.0370.01.) There are A and D scales on the base and B and C scales on the slide. The A and B scales are divided logarithmically from 1 to 10 twice. The C and D scales are divided logarithmically from 1 to 10 once. A figure holding a club is shown in the lower left corner. A dark brown case of coated paper is included.
The figure on the slide rule was used by Gebr. Wichmann (Wichmann Brothers) in Berlin, a company founded in 1873. In materials, size, and scales, this instrument closely resembles model 466, shown in the 1910 catalog. However, the illustration in the catalog indicates that the maker's name, place of manufacture, model number, and price are printed on the front of the rule. This instrument does not have these marks, so it may have been made before 1910. The No. 466 slide rule sold for 0.75 marks and was one of the least expensive slide rules listed in the catalog. (Only model 469, with a C scale that began at pi, sold for the same price.)
This instrument is signed on the back: W. F. Meggers. William F. Meggers (1888–1966) was a spectroscopist long associated with the U.S. National Bureau of Standards. He received his B.A. in physics from Ripon College in 1910, his M.A. in physics from the University of Wisconsin in 1916, and his Ph.D. in physics, mathematics, and astronomy from Johns Hopkins University in 1917. If he used this rule, it seems likely that he acquired it as a student. For a slide rule apparently acquired by Meggers in 1907 that was considerably more precise and more costly, see MA.335270.
References: Gebr. Wichmann, Anleitung zum Gebrauch des Rechenstabes (Berlin, 1910), 21; "Dr. Meggers Dies at 78," The NBS Standard 11, no. 9 (December 1966): 2–3.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
before 1910
maker
Gebr. Wichmann
ID Number
MA.293320.2820
accession number
293320
catalog number
293320.2820

A. W. Faber Mannheim Simplex Slide Rule

This one-sided, ten-inch wooden rule has a layer of yellowed white celluloid on the front side. It has unlettered A and D scales on the base and B and C scales on one side of the slide. The other side of the slide has S, L, and T scales. The indicator is glass in a metal frame.
Description
This one-sided, ten-inch wooden rule has a layer of yellowed white celluloid on the front side. It has unlettered A and D scales on the base and B and C scales on one side of the slide. The other side of the slide has S, L, and T scales. The indicator is glass in a metal frame. The top edge is beveled and has a 25-centimeter scale, divided to millimeters. A second scale, 26 centimeters in length, is on the front edge. Underneath the slide is a third centimeter scale, numbered from 27 to 51.
The bottom of the base is marked in gold: A. W. FABER. Tables of equivalent measures and lists of constants (in German) are printed on paper glued to the back of the instrument. The rule is in a cardboard case covered with black leather, which is in excellent condition. The case is marked: Rechenstab (/) von (/) A. W. Faber. The back of the case is signed illegibly in pencil.
A. W. Faber began manufacturing wooden slide rules in 1882 and added celluloid facings in 1887. From about 1888 to 1900, the rules were often marked not only "A. W. FABER" but "Made in Germany." The metal indicator with a glass window was introduced in 1889. Although there is no model number on this rule, in the 1910s this combination of scales and indicator was sold as model 360. See MA.304722.02 for a later version of this rule, which mentions an 1899 patent and has a digit registering indicator introduced in 1905.
Reference: Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 54, 90; Trevor Catlow, "Suggestions for Dating pre-1920 Faber Castell Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 18, no. 2 (2009): 46–53; "Time Line for A. W. Faber and Faber-Castell," http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm#Faber.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
about 1890
maker
Faber, A. W.
ID Number
MA.314793
catalog number
314793
accession number
210147

Keuffel & Esser 1741 Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rule

In 1881, Edwin Thacher, a "computing engineer" for the Keystone Bridge Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received a patent for an improvement in slide rules. Thacher, a graduate of Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, spent much of his career designing railway bridges.
Description
In 1881, Edwin Thacher, a "computing engineer" for the Keystone Bridge Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received a patent for an improvement in slide rules. Thacher, a graduate of Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, spent much of his career designing railway bridges. To assist in his calculations, he designed a cylindrical slide rule. Thacher's rule, though it fit on a desk, was equivalent to a conventional slide rule over 59 feet long. The rule had scales for multiplication and division and another scale, with divisions twice as large, for use in finding squares and square roots. There were no trigonometric scales.
To produce his "calculating instrument," Thacher turned to the London firm of W. F. Stanley. The company even designed a special dividing engine for preparing the scales for the instrument. These were printed on paper sheets, which were pasted to the drum and the slats. In this example, the paper is also printed in italics on the right side: Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E. Nov. 1st 1881. Divided by W. F. Stanley, London, 1882. Made by Keuffel & Esser Co. N.Y. 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 drum is rotated with wooden handles. The cylinder of slats is held in place with a brass frame, which is affixed to a wooden base. A paper of DIRECTIONS AND RULES FOR OPERATING is glued to the front of the base. A small silver metal tag affixed to the front right of the base is engraved: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (/) NEW-YORK (/) 589. A metal extension on the front, screwed to both sides of the frame, bears a fixed holder and thumbscrew that once held a magnifying glass.
A paper K&E label on the inside lid of the instrument's mahogany case is marked in ink: 1741/589 (/) Thacher's (/) Calculating (/) Instr. The inside of the lid and the bottom of the base are both painted: M59. The back of the base is missing a chip 5 cm in length. The left and right sides of the case both bear labels marked in ink: INSTRUMENT (/) CALCULATING (/) THATCHER. A diagonal line is drawn through the second T in "Thatcher" on the right side.
Keuffel & Esser Company of New York sold versions of the Thacher cylindrical slide rule from at least 1883 until about 1950. There were two models, one with a magnifying glass (K&E model 1741, K&E model 4013 after 1900), and one without (K&E model 1740, later K&E 4012). This is a model 1741. In 1892, the model 1741 sold for $40.00. The Physics Department of the United States Military Academy transferred this example to the Smithsonian in 1958.
References: Edwin Thacher, "Slide-Rule" (U.S. Patent 249,117 issued November 1, 1881); Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127; Peggy Aldrich Kidwell, Amy Ackerberg-Hastings, and David Lindsay Roberts, Tools of American Mathematics Teaching, 1800–2000 (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008), 113–114; Wilfred Scott Downs, ed., "Nickel, Frank F.," Who's Who in Engineering, (New York, 1931), iii:957; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser (New York, 1892), 131. This was the first K&E catalog to list the model 1741.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890s
maker
Stanley, William Ford
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.315663
accession number
217544
catalog number
315663

Hawthorn's Mechanics' Slide Rule

From the late 18th to the mid-19th centuries, British engineers began to use slide rules. This ivory and silver instrument is a four-fold engineer's rule that unfolds to a length of 24 inches.
Description
From the late 18th to the mid-19th centuries, British engineers began to use slide rules. This ivory and silver instrument is a four-fold engineer's rule that unfolds to a length of 24 inches. On half of one side is a slide rule with A and D scales on the base and B and C scales on the slide. The A and D scales seem to run continuously, although the slide only moves on the second six inches of the rule.
The words IRON and ROPE appear several times along the edge of the A scale. Along the edge of the D scale is marked: DESCRIPTION SQUARE CYL[I]ND[ER] GLOBE SQUARE CYL[I]ND[ER] WEIGHT STRAIN WORK INCLIN[E] POLYGON SIDE GOVERNORS H[ORSE]P[OWER] ENGIN[E]S STE[A]M TEM[PERATURE]. When the rule is folded, these markings correspond to the tables on the other half of the instrument.
The other half of this side has a table of gauge points for the A scale. Instructions printed on the rule suggest that calculations on the slide rule were intended to be made with calipers. Additional tables and instructions for working with ropes and chains are on this half, which is marked: IMPROVED & ARRANG[E]D (/) BY RT HAWTHORN (/) CIVIL ENGINEER (/) NEWCASTLE TYNE.
The other side has a scale of 24 inches divided to eighths of an inch along the edge. The metal joint has a protractor divided in increments of 5 degrees and marked by tens from 0 to 180. When the instrument is folded around the joint, there are tables for the extreme strain possible in bars and beams of various substances and for equivalent measures. The joint is marked: G. R. STEPHENSON (/) ENGINEER (/) Adam Pensom.
In 1832 civil engineer Robert Hawthorn (1796–1867) designed a new form of slide rule for manufacturing locomotives and other engines. In 1859 dealers sold the rule for 5 shillings and 6 pence. The names on the joint may refer to the British civil engineer George Robert Stephenson (1819–1905), nephew to the engineer George Stephenson (1781–1848), who sought mechanical advice from Hawthorn's father, and to Adam Pensom (b. 1824), who was a retired gas engineer living in London, according to the 1881 British census. The Smithsonian acquired this object in 1973.
References: Robert Hawthorn, Instructions for the Use of the Mechanics' Sliding Rule (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1841), available online at http://www.physics.uq.edu.au/physics_museum/hawthorne/; "Mr. Robert Hawthorn," Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers 27 (1867–1868): 590–592; advertisement by John Archbutt, The Mechanics' Magazine, n.s., 1, no. 10 (March 4, 1859): 486; Peter M. Hopp, Joint Slide Rules (Jeremy Mills Publishing: Lindley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, 2009).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1832
maker
Hawthorn, Robert
ID Number
MA.306697.01
accession number
306697
catalog number
306697.01

Keuffel & Esser 68-1944 Demonstration Slide Rule

In the early twentieth century, a growing proportion of American children attended public schools. However, some continued to prefer private academies.
Description
In the early twentieth century, a growing proportion of American children attended public schools. However, some continued to prefer private academies. For example, the Thurston Prep School, founded in Shadyside, Pennsylvania, in 1887, was devoted to teacher training for young women. A similar school in Shadyside – which also had young boys as students – was established in 1902 and soon named the Winchester School. Financial difficulties at the time of the Depression led to a merger of the two schools in 1935 – male students were then limited to kindergarten and first grade, and the curriculum resembled public elementary schools and high schools. Winchester Thurston moved to new premises in 1967, and at about that time purchased this teaching slide rule. The instrument was donated to the Smithsonian by the school through the good offices of Frances Glockler Hein (1923-2012). Mrs. Hein, as she was known to students, was born in California, raised in Minneapolis, and attended the University of Iowa. In late 1943 she graduated from iowa with a B.A. in mathematics. The next year she married a slightly older University of Iowa student, Richard E. Hein, who then was studying chemistry at Iowa State University and working on the Manhattan Project. They soon had four sons. By 1964, the boys were sufficiently grown for her to take a position at Winchester Thurston, where she taught mathematics for over twenty years.
In 1967, Winchester Thurston moved to a new campus. At about that time, the school acquired this 79-inch demonstration slide rule. It is made of painted wood, with a plastic cursor that has a wooden frame. In the early seventeenth century, the Scottish mathematician John Napier had discovered functions known as logarithms which make it possible to reduce problems of multiplication, division, and taking the roots of numbers to additions and subtractions. On a slide rule, the logarithms of numbers are represented as lengths. To multiply, one length is set on the base, and another added to it using the slide. The sum of the logarithms, which gives the product, is read off using the cursor. This slide rule also has scales for finding the squares, cubes, square roots, and cube roots of numbers.
Slide rules had first became popular in the United States in the 1890s, especially among engineers and scientists. Use of the device was taught in high schools and universities using oversized instruments like this. During the 1960s, the United States placed new emphasis on teaching mathematics and science. By the late 1970s, slide rules would be almost entirely displaced by handheld electronic calculators.
References:
Yearbooks and student newspapers of the University of Iowa.
Registrar's Office, University of Iowa.
Online obituary of Frances G. Hein at tributes.com.
Winchester Thurston School, Thistle Talk Commemorative Edition, vol. 39 #1, Summer, 2010.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1967
fabricator
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1987.0137.01
accession number
1987.0137
catalog number
1987.0137.01

Wright's Arithmeter Cylindrical Slide Rule

In the mid-19th century, the expansion and regulation of American insurance companies created a need for numerous computations and a demand for instruments to assist in this process.
Description
In the mid-19th century, the expansion and regulation of American insurance companies created a need for numerous computations and a demand for instruments to assist in this process. Elizur Wright (1804–1885), one of the first insurance commissioners of Massachusetts, invented this large cylindrical slide rule, patented it in 1869, and sold it to insurance companies for $500.00. It is the equivalent of a linear slide rule more than 60 feet long.
The instrument consists of two adjacent cylindrical brass drums, each covered with paper and mounted horizontally in a round brass frame, which is screwed to a round wooden base. Two indentations in the side of the base assist with lifting the instrument. A crossbar attached to the frame extends across the length of the drums. Two indicators slide across a groove in the bar. A brass handle with an ivory knob on the right side of the frame rotates the drums. An ivory button on the left side of the frame operates a brake. When the button is locked in a vertical position, the two drums turn together. When the button is horizontal, only the right drum turns.
The two cylinders are marked identically. Each drum has a spiral of 20 turns, divided logarithmically (perhaps by pencil), with printed numbers to the right of each division. The first digit of a number is read from the crossbar, and the remaining three are printed on the drum. The markings include every digit from 0 to 3,000; every even digit from 3,000 to 6,000; and every other even digit from 6,000 to 10,000. The arithmeter arrived in a badly scratched wooden case that has two metal handles and a keyhole (but no key).
A metal plaque screwed to the base is marked: No 6 (/) ELIZUR WRIGHT'S (/) ARITHMETER (/) PATENTED AUG. 17TH 1869. (/) N.E.M.L.INS. CO. The New England Mutual Life Insurance Company (now New England Financial), a company with a long connection to Wright and his family, donated this example, one of ten known surviving arithmeters. Wright's son, Walter C. Wright, was the firm's chief actuary from 1866 to 1900. Wright was also a well-known abolitionist. Although this example cannot be definitively credited to him, Joseph W. Fowle, a Boston machinist who invented a rotating rock drill, is known to have built some arithmeters for Wright.
References: Elizur Wright, "Calculator" (U.S. Patent 93,849 issued August 17, 1869); Peggy A. Kidwell, "Elizur Wright's Arithmeter. An Early American Spiral Slide Rule," Rittenhouse 4 (1989): 1–4; Lawrence B. Goodheart, Abolitionist, Actuary, Atheist: Elizur Wright and the Reform Impulse (Kent, Ohio: The Kent State University Press, 1990), 149, 168; Naom Maggor, "Politics of Property: Urban Democracy in the Age of Capital, Boston 1865-1900" (Ph.D. diss., Harvard University, 2010).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1869
maker
Wright, Elizur
ID Number
1989.0366.01
catalog number
1989.0366.01
accession number
1989.0366

Merritt Beam Scale Slide Rule

This paper linear slide rule was designed to assist architects and construction workers with computing the strength of steel beams.
Description
This paper linear slide rule was designed to assist architects and construction workers with computing the strength of steel beams. There are seven scales: A, safe load in pounds per square foot; B, section of beams; C, spacing of beams in feet; D, span in feet; E, total safe load in net tons; F, manner of loading; G, span in feet. Scales A-B-C-D are meant to be used together, as are scales E-B-F-G. The back of the instrument gives instructions. The instrument fits in an orange paper envelope.
The front of the instrument and the envelope are marked: The Merritt Beam Scale (/) FOR COMPUTING THE STRENGTH OF STEEL BEAMS. They also are both marked: THE JOHN HOWARD HERRICK CO. (/) BALTIMORE, MD., U.S.A. and PRICE ONE DOLLAR. The front of the instrument also is marked: Copyright (/) 1899 (/) by (/) James S. Merritt (/) M.E. and PAT. JULY 1ST, 1902. This last mark refers to a patent for a "slide-scale" taken out on that date by the mechanical engineer James S. Merritt of Philadelphia. The Merritt Beam Scale was mentioned in a textbook as late as 1921.
Although the instrument is named for Merritt, its invention is credited to Edward Wager-Smith (1872–1920), who worked for Merritt & Co. of Philadelphia from 1893 to 1910. See also his Wager Timber Scale (1987.0108.01).
References: James S. Merritt, "Slide Scale" (U.S. Patent 703,437 issued July 1, 1902); "Wager-Smith, E.," National Cyclopaedia of American Biography (New York: James T. White, 1926), xix:136–137; Ernst McCullough, Practical Structural Design (New York: U.P.C. Co., 1921), 81.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1902-1921
maker
Wager-Smith, Edward
ID Number
1987.0108.02
accession number
1987.0108
catalog number
1987.0108.02

Hemmi Simplex Slide Rule Retailed by Post (1447)

This ten-inch one-sided bamboo rule is coated with white celluloid only on the front. There is no indicator. The base has A, D, and K scales. The slide has B, CI, and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The CI scale is numbered in red.
Description
This ten-inch one-sided bamboo rule is coated with white celluloid only on the front. There is no indicator. The base has A, D, and K scales. The slide has B, CI, and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The CI scale is numbered in red. The base is held together with a sheet of metal and with clear celluloid that has red hairlines at each end. The back of this metal and celluloid backing contains a chart on white plastic. The chart provides various relationships or conversions between the C and D scales as well as fundamental trigonometric relationships.
The instrument is marked in red at the top center of the base: FREDERICK POST CO. 1447. It is marked in black at the top right: HEMMI JAPAN. The Post logo (in red) appears at the right side of the slide. The back is stamped with the date code TD, indicating the rule was manufactured in April 1969. The style of the Post logo is consistent with this date.
The Frederick Post Company of Chicago imported slide rules made by the Japanese firm of Hemmi from about 1932 to the 1970s, with a brief interruption during World War II. Post sold Model 1447 from about 1949 to about 1971.
Chemist Albert S. Matlack donated this slide rule. He recalled that it was mainly used by his laboratory technician at the Hercules Research Center in Wilmington, Del.
References: International Slide Rule Museum, "Slide Rule Dates and Time-Lines," http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm; Drafting Materials for Engineering, Architecture, and Art by Post, 19th ed. (Chicago: The Frederick Post Co., 1949–1950), 68–69; Carmen Drahl, "The Guy With the Questions at NOS: Albert S. Matlack," 7 June 2011, http://cenblog.org/newscripts/2011/06/the-guy-with-the-questions-at-nos-albert-s-matlack/..
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1969-04
maker
SUN HEMMI JAPAN CF
retailer
Frederick Post Co.
ID Number
1989.0032.02
accession number
1989.0032
catalog number
1989.0032.02

Keuffel & Esser 68-1210 Log Log Duplex Slide Rule

This ten-inch duplex slide rule is made from mahogany coated with white celluloid and is held together with metal end pieces. The indicator is glass with plastic edges held together with metal screws.
Description
This ten-inch duplex slide rule is made from mahogany coated with white celluloid and is held together with metal end pieces. The indicator is glass with plastic edges held together with metal screws. One side of the base has LLO1, L, K, A, D, DI, and LL1 scales, with B, T, SRT, and S scales on the slide. The left end of both parts of the base is marked: 092, and the left end of the slide is marked: 991092. The other side of the base has LLO2, LLO3, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The right side of the slide is marked: © (/) K+E. This form of the K&E logo dates to 1949.
The top edge of the rule is marked: PATS. PEND.; MADE IN U.S.A; 68 1210 LOG LOG DUPLEX DECITRIG ®; COPYRIGHT 1947 BY KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.; PATS. 2,500,460 2,168,056 2,170,144 2,285,722 2,422,649. The rule has a green leather case marked on the flap: K+E. Inside the flap is written in ink: Howard (/) Ebenstein; Pratt (/) Institute (/) 1965. Howard Ebenstein acquired this slide rule as a student in mechnical engineering at Pratt Institute in New York City. He went on to a career in public service with the the Department of the Navy, Peace Corps, and the District of Columbia Energy Office.
Keuffel & Esser of New York converted its model numbers to the 68 series in 1962. It advertised the model 68–1210 in its 1962, 1966, 1967, and 1972 catalogs. In 1962, the rule came with a case with a belt loop and a hardcover manual. By 1967, there was an option to purchase the rule with a case without a belt loop and a softcover manual. Thus, this example was probably produced closer to 1965 than to 1962. The serial number is also consistent with this date. For earlier versions of this slide rule, sold as the model 4081, see MA.318482, MA.334387, 1990.0687.01, and 1986.0790.03. For instructions, see 1987.0085.02.
References: Clark McCoy, ed., "K&E Catalogs and Price Lists for Slide Rules," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEmain.htm; Wayne E. Feely, "K & E Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 49, no. 5 (June 1996): 50–52.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1987.0085.01
accession number
1987.0085
catalog number
1987.0085.01

Keuffel & Esser N4058-W Beginner's Simplex Slide Rule

This ten-inch wooden linear slide rule is painted white. The indicator is frameless plastic. The base has A, D, and K scales. The slide has B, CI, and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other side.
Description
This ten-inch wooden linear slide rule is painted white. The indicator is frameless plastic. The base has A, D, and K scales. The slide has B, CI, and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The back of the rule is printed with a table of equivalents and abbreviations, based on National Bureau of Standards Circular No. 47. Compare to 1984.1068.01. The back is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.; BEGINNER'S SLIDE RULE. N4058W; MADE IN U. S. A. There is no serial number. The case is green leatherette and is marked: K+E.
In 1897, Keuffel & Esser began to sell a slide rule for students. It was constructed inexpensively and was intended to be replaced once students had mastered the basic operations. The version with this model number and these scales was offered between 1944 and 1959, although the all-plastic indicator was not introduced until 1954. Model N4058W sold for $2.50 in 1959. Longtime NMAH staff member Barbara Coffee donated this example to the Smithsonian.
Reference: Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4058 Family," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4058family.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1954-1959
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1987.0184.01
accession number
1987.0184
catalog number
1987.0184.01

Gurley Cox's Stadia Computer Circular Slide Rule

Some slide rules reveal transformations in materials. A later version of this paper circular slide rule was made from celluloid (1987.0221.02).
Description
Some slide rules reveal transformations in materials. A later version of this paper circular slide rule was made from celluloid (1987.0221.02). Both were designed to reduce data obtained with a surveyor's transit.
On the base, just outside the disc, is a logarithmic scale for readings of a stadia rod used with a transit telescope, in feet. The edge of the disc has two scales involving functions of angles. One scale allows for multiplying the stadia reading by 1/2 sin 2 A, where A is the vertical angle of the transit telescope. This multiplication gives the difference in elevation of the transit and the stadia rod, in feet. The second scale represents multiplying the stadia reading by the square of the cosine of A, to find the horizontal distance of the rod in feet. The instrument bears a copyright date of 1899. Compare this instrument to Webb’s stadia rule (333636) as well as to 1977.1141.41 and 2001.0282.01.
The slide rule has a cloth-covered cardboard cover. Pasted on the inside of the cover is an image of the Light Mountain Transit sold by W. & L. E. Gurley of Troy, N.Y., from 1897 to 1908. The image of the transit in the 1910 Gurley catalog is different, but it is not the same as the image on rule 1987.0221.02. Cox’s stadia computer is not mentioned in any of these catalogs; the device was probably given away as a promotional item.
In 1904, W. M. Beaman, a topographer in the U.S. Geological Survey, devised the “Beaman stadia arc,” a transit attachment that obviated the need for separate computing rules. Beaman obtained a patent for his instrument in 1906, and it was offered in Gurley catalogs from at least 1908.
References: W. & L. E. Gurley, A Manual of the Principal Instruments Used in American Engineering and Surveying, 42nd ed. (Troy, N.Y., 1908), 62–63; Florian Cajori, "A Stadia Slide-Rule," Engineering News 43 (April 5, 1900): 232; Richard Smith Hughes, "Stadia or Tacheometric Slide Rules, Part II," Journal of the Oughtred Society 16, no. 2 (2007): 32–41.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1899
maker
W. & L. E. Gurley
ID Number
1987.0221.01
accession number
1987.0221
catalog number
1987.0221.01

Wizard Fire Stream Calculator Slide Rule

This rule has a rectangular wooden base, a wooden slide, and a metal runner. The scales and instructions are on paper pasted to the left side of the base, both sides of the slide, the base underneath the slide, and the runner.
Description
This rule has a rectangular wooden base, a wooden slide, and a metal runner. The scales and instructions are on paper pasted to the left side of the base, both sides of the slide, the base underneath the slide, and the runner. Given the pump pressure, hose length, and nozzle size, one can find nozzle pressure, gallons of water flowing through the nozzle per minute, and the effective reach of the stream emerging from a fire hose. The slide is marked: THE (/) WIZARD (/) FIRE (/) STREAM (/) CALCULATOR. The bottom of the base is marked: COPYRIGHT 1933 BERTRAM E. ADAMS BROOKLINE MASS. A sticker on the back of the base reads: JAN 23 1933 (/) © C1 I pub. 7077.
The inventor of this object may be Bertram Ernest Adams (b. 1885). Adams graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in sanitary engineering in 1915 or 1916 and subsequently became a noted magician based in the Boston area. Best known for his 1921 book on card tricks, Adamatica, he served as president of the Society of American Magicians in 1932 and 1933. He was a registered voter in Brookline, Mass., as late as 1959. His papers are in the Boston Public Library.
References: Library of Congress Copyright Office, Catalog of Copyright Entries: Part 4, Works of Art, Etc., n.s. 27 (1932): 157; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Register of Former Students 55, no. 15 (1920): 9; MIT Alumni Office, "News from the Classes: Complete List of the Members and Addresses of the Class of 1916," The Technology Review 18, no. 7 (1916): 791; "List of Voters in the Town of Brookline [Mass.]," August 1959, Precinct 9A, 21, http://archive.org/details/townofbrooklinel599broo.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1933
maker
Adams, Bertram
ID Number
1983.3009.02
catalog number
1983.3009.02
nonaccession number
1983.3009

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