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.

Place: New Jersey

Keuffel & Esser 4080-3 Log Log Trig Duplex Slide Rule

This ten-inch double-sided mahogany rule is fully covered with white celluloid. On one side, there are L, LL1, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales on the base and CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked in red: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PATS.
Description
This ten-inch double-sided mahogany rule is fully covered with white celluloid. On one side, there are L, LL1, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales on the base and CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked in red: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PATS. RE.20,984 1,930,852 2,168,056 2,170,144 PAT. PEND.; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide is marked with the model number: < 4080-3 >. On the other side, there are LL0, LL00, A, D, DI, and K scales on the base and B, T, ST, and S scales on the slide. The left end of the slide and the front left corner of the base are marked with a serial number: 728903. The indicator is glass with plastic edges held together with metal screws. A piece is missing from the top edge; if it were whole, it would read: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y. The bottom edge is marked: PATENT 2,086,502.
In images of the object, the slide is upside down.
The rule fits into a sewn orange leather case. The flap is marked: K & E (/) LOG LOG DUPLEX (/) TRADE TRIG MARK (/) 4080-3S. The S refers to the sewed leather case. A paper table of equivalences was once attached to the case, but most of it has been torn away. The remaining portions resemble the charts on K&E simplex slide rules, such as 1984.1068.01. The back of the case has a metal ring, presumably to fit around a belt loop, and is marked: R. L. HUFFMAN.
K&E used this combination of scales on this model from 1939 to 1947. The serial number on this example is consistent with a date earlier in this time frame. In 1947, it sold for $18.00. Included in the acquisition is a manual by William E. Breckenridge, The Log Log Duplex Slide Rule (1939). Compare this rule to 2007.0181.01.
Robert L. Huffman owned this instrument. It seems likely that he used it as a college student. He received a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota in 1941. Huffman went on to work for Automatic Electric Company of Chicago and then, from 1945, for General Telephone Laboratories.
References: Alfred W. Keuffel, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent RE20,984 reissued Janaury 24, 1939); Alfred W. Keuffel, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 1,930,852 issued October 17, 1933); Adolf W. Keuffel, "Runner for Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,086,502 issued July 6, 1937); 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); 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; The Automatic Electric Technical Journal 1, no. 2 (July 1948): front matter.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1939-1947
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1992.0437.01
catalog number
1992.0437.01
accession number
1992.0437

Sterling Plastics 542 T-Square

This 13" white plastic T-square is marked on the handle: STERLING – 542. It is also marked: MADE USA.
Description
This 13" white plastic T-square is marked on the handle: STERLING – 542. It is also marked: MADE USA. The handle has a scale of 12 inches, divided to 1/16" and numbered by ones from 1 to 12, and a 30.5 centimeter scale, divided to millimeters, numbered by ones from 1 to 30, and marked: MM. A hole near the end of the handle permits hanging.
George and Mary Staab operated Sterling Plastics in Mountainside, New Jersey, from 1938 through the late 1960s. The firm was a division of Borden Chemical Company in the 1970s and 1980s and was purchased by Sanford Corporation in 1988. See also MA.335327, 1988.0807.01, 1990.0689.01, and 1998.3104.01. Isaac Giacinto Molella, who worked as an electrical engineer for General Electric in the United States, North Africa, and Europe in the 1950s, previously owned this T-square.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1950s
maker
Sterling Plastics
ID Number
1992.0433.02
accession number
1992.0433
catalog number
1992.0433.02

Keuffel & Esser 4071-3 Polyphase Decitrig Duplex Slide Rule

This ten-inch mahogany duplex linear slide rule is almost completely coated with white celluloid. The frameless glass indicator has plastic edges. On one side, the base has K and A scales at the top and D and DI scales at the bottom. The slide has B, T, SRT, and S scales.
Description
This ten-inch mahogany duplex linear slide rule is almost completely coated with white celluloid. The frameless glass indicator has plastic edges. On one side, the base has K and A scales at the top and D and DI scales at the bottom. The slide has B, T, SRT, and S scales. Divisions of angles are indicated in decimal fractions. The left side of the slide is marked with the serial number 330508, with the number 508 printed on the left side of both parts of the base.
The other side of the rule has a DF scale on the top of the base and D and L scales on the bottom of the base. The slide has CF, CIF, CI, and C scales. The top of the base is marked in red: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.; PATS. 2,500,460 2,168,056 2,170,144 PAT PEND.; MADE IN U.S.A. The right side of the slide is marked with the K&E logo, a copyright sign, and the model number, 4071-3. The instrument fits in an orange leather case with the K&E logo on the flap. Inside the flap is written in ink: H. R. L. (/) JULY '62.
Keuffel & Esser Company of New York sold this model from 1939 to 1967. The combination of scales on this example was sold beginning in 1955, and the model was renumbered in 1962 to 68-1502. Thus, the rule was probably manufactured between 1955 and 1962. The serial number is consistent with this dating.
The donor, Alfred E. Brown, was a research chemist for Celanese Corporation, which partnered with K&E in the 1960s to produce a special version of the 68-1555 slide rule (see 1993.0357.01). However, it is not known how this rule came into Brown's possession.
References: Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4071-3 Family of Slide Rules," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4071family.htm; Carl M. Bernegau, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,168,056 issued August 1, 1939); Lyman M. Kells, Willis F. Kern, and James R. Bland, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,170,144 issued August 22, 1939); Herschel Hunt, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,500,460 issued March 14, 1950); Walter Shawlee II, Ted Hume, and Paul Ross, "Keuffel & Esser Co. Slide Rules," Sphere Research Corporation, http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke-sliderule.html; "Alfred E. Brown Chemist," The Washington Post, March 19, 2004, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9676-2004Mar19_2.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1955-1962
date received
1993
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1993.0482.01
accession number
1993.0482
catalog number
1993.0482.01

Edmund Vernon Slide Rule and Tie Clasp

This small, one-sided sterling silver slide rule is in the form of a tie clip. It has A and D scales on the base and a C scale on the slide. A clear plastic indicator has a red line and is in a metal frame. The back of the clasp is marked: VERNON.
Description
This small, one-sided sterling silver slide rule is in the form of a tie clip. It has A and D scales on the base and a C scale on the slide. A clear plastic indicator has a red line and is in a metal frame. The back of the clasp is marked: VERNON. It is also marked: STERLING.
The donor recalled that he obtained this tie clasp from Edmund Scientific Company. The 1965 catalog of the company lists a tie clasp with a "silver oxide" finish that cost $2.00. The 1971 catalog lists a tie clasp with a gold finish that cost $3.00. However, these tie clips had screws in each corner, while this example has no screws.
References: Edmund Scientific Company, Catalog 661 (Barrington, N.J., 1965), 44; Edmund Scientific Company, Catalog 721 (Barrington, N.J., 1971), 59; Dieter von Jezierski, "Slide Rule Tie Bars," Journal of the Oughtred Society 16, no. 1 (2007): 33–35.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965
date received
1996
distributor
Edmund Scientific Company
ID Number
1996.0221.01
catalog number
1996.0221.01
accession number
1996.0221

Psychological Test, Vineland Social Maturity Scale

The Vineland Social Maturity Scale was distributed by The Psychological Corporation and was copyrighted by the Training School at Vineland in 1936, New Jersey Department of Research.
Description
The Vineland Social Maturity Scale was distributed by The Psychological Corporation and was copyrighted by the Training School at Vineland in 1936, New Jersey Department of Research. Vineland was a “school” for “feebleminded” children, where Henry Herbert Goddard first began using intelligence tests to categorize students there in the early 1900s.
This version of the test was the Experimental Form B (Revised 1/15/36). 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. The test indicates that there is a manual of directions for scoring that is not contained in this collection.
Compare 1983.00168.07 to1990.0034.051. See also 1990.0034.049, 1990.0034.050 and 1990.0034.052 through 1990.0034.054.
Reference:
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
ID Number
1983.0168.07
catalog number
1983.0168.07
accession number
1983.0168

Monroe Model 213-11-011 Adding Machine

This machine incorporates ideas of Purdue University graduate Clyde Gardner (1881-1923) who had a long career in the adding machine industry. He began as a draftsman at the Pike Adding Machine Company in 1903.
Description
This machine incorporates ideas of Purdue University graduate Clyde Gardner (1881-1923) who had a long career in the adding machine industry. He began as a draftsman at the Pike Adding Machine Company in 1903. By 1909, when Pike was acquired by the Burroughs Adding Machine Company, Gardner was chief engineer. He moved with the Pike plant to Detroit, where he worked as an engineer and patent expert at Burroughs.
In 1919 Gardner left Burroughs to work on his own design for an adding machine. On April 19, 1923, the Gardner Calculator Company was established in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. Gardner died only two days later. His patents eventurally were acquired by the Monroe Calculating Machine Company, which manufactured this printing adding machine to complement its line of calculating machines.
The object has a green-black steel frame, a green keyboard, and 13 columns of black and white color-coded plastic number keys. To the right of the keyboard are total, error, and subtotal keys, and subtraction and addition bars. A non-add key is to the left of the keyboard. In back of the keyboard is a printing mechanism and a fixed carriage for the three-inch paper tape. The machine prints results of up to 14 digits. An asterisk printed next to a number indicates that it is a total. There is a black rubber-covered cord that plugs into the back.
The machine is marked on the front: MONROE (/) REGISTERED TRADE MARK. It is marked on a white sticker on the bottom of the machine: DATE (/) INSTALLED 10/Apr/57. It is marked on a gold sticker on the bottom of the machine: Licensed under Gubelman Patents. It is also marked there: 213-11-011-D (/) # 15128. According to the National Office Machine Blue Book, the serial number dates a Monroe machine to about 1932.
References:
American Office Machines Service vol. 3, 1937, 3.21. According to this source, the machine was introduced as the Gardner adding machine in 1924.
National Office Machine Blue Book, May, 1975, as compiled by Office Machine Americana, January 2002.
John E. Gable, History of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Topeka, Kansas: Historical Publishing Company, 1926, pp. 781-782.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1937
maker
Monroe Calculating Machine Company
ID Number
1987.0403.01
catalog number
1987.0403.01
accession number
1987.0403

Monroe Model CSAE-10 Calculating Machine

This full-keyboard, electric non-printing modified stepped drum calculating machine has a dark gray steel frame, a light gray keyboard and carriage, and ten columns of oblong plastic keys in two shades of gray. At the bottom of each column is a key for clearing it.
Description
This full-keyboard, electric non-printing modified stepped drum calculating machine has a dark gray steel frame, a light gray keyboard and carriage, and ten columns of oblong plastic keys in two shades of gray. At the bottom of each column is a key for clearing it. Between the columns of keys and under the keyboard are metal rods, painted red on one side and the same gray as the keyboard on the other. They turn to serve as decimal markers.
To the right of the number keys are subtraction and addition bars, two carriage shift keys, and a multiplier key. Below these are two buttons, one of which is depressed when entries are repeated and the other depressed for non-repeating entries. This section also has a multiply/divide lever. Below these are three other function keys and a gray clear-keyboard key. Beneath the number keys are five additional function keys.
In back of the keyboard is a carriage with ten dials to show a number set up for multiplication, 20 dials to show the result, and a row of ten dials that serves as a revolution counter. Sliding decimal markers are provided. A two-pronged gray electrical cord attaches to the back.
An incomplete mark on the left side reads: omatic. A mark on the front reads: Classmate. Another mark there reads: li. A paper sticker glued to the bottom of the machine reads: MONROE INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION [/] A DIVISION OF LITTON INDUSTRIES [/] ORANGE, NEW JERSEY. A list of 28 patents on this sticker ranges from number 2,473,422 (1949) to D-192,457 (1962). A metal tag attached to the bottom of the machine reads: MODEL CSAE-10 [/] SERIAL B066597. Scratched on the frame at the back are the initials: EHS.
This is a relatively late mechanical calculating machine, produced by Monroe after it became a division of Litton Industries in 1958. The rough date is based on the patent date.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1966
maker
Monroe International Corporation, a Division of Litton Business Systems
ID Number
1987.0182.01
maker number
MODEL CSAE-10 B066597
accession number
1987.0182
catalog number
1987.0182.01

Dod Protractor and Parallel Rule

This brass semicircular protractor is divided by single degrees and marked by tens from 10° to 90° to 10°. It is attached with metal screws to a set of brass parallel rules. Brass S-shaped hinges connect the rules to each other.
Description
This brass semicircular protractor is divided by single degrees and marked by tens from 10° to 90° to 10°. It is attached with metal screws to a set of brass parallel rules. Brass S-shaped hinges connect the rules to each other. The bottom left screw on the parallel rules does not attach to the bottom piece. A rectangular brass arm is screwed to the center of the protractor. A thin brass piece screwed to the arm is marked with a small arrow for pointing to the angle markings. The protractor is stored in a wooden case, which also contains a pair of metal dividers (5-1/4" long).
The base of the protractor is signed: L. Dod, Newark. Lebbeus Dod (1739–1816) manufactured mathematical instruments in New Jersey and is credited with inventing the parallel rule protractor. He served as a captain of artillery during the Revolutionary War and made muskets. His three sons, Stephen (1770–1855), Abner (1772–1847), and Daniel (1778–1823), were also noted instrument and clock makers. The family was most associated with Mendham, N.J. (where a historic marker on N.J. Route 24 indicates Dod's house), but Dod is known to have also lived at various times in Newark.
ID number MA.310890 is a similar protractor and parallel rule. Compare also to a Dod instrument owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/5535.
References: Bethuel Lewis Dodd and John Robertson Burnet, "Biographical Sketch of Lebbeus Dod," in Genealogies of the Male Descendants of Daniel Dod . . . 1646–1863 (Newark, N.J., 1864), 144–147; Alexander Farnham, "More Information About New Jersey Toolmakers," The Tool Shed, no. 120 (February 2002), http://www.craftsofnj.org/Newjerseytools/Alex%20Farnham%20more%20Jeraey%20Tools/Alex%20Farnham.htm; Deborah J. Warner, “Surveyor's Compass,” National Museum of American History Physical Sciences Collection: Surveying and Geodesy, http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/surveying/object.cfm?recordnumber=747113; Peggy A. Kidwell, "American Parallel Rules: Invention on the Fringes of Industry," Rittenhouse 10, no. 39 (1996): 90–96.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 1700s
maker
Dod, Lebbeus
ID Number
1978.2110.06
accession number
1978.2110
catalog number
336732

Digi-Comp 1 Toy Computer

In the mid-1960s, most children had never seen an electronic computer. However, they had heard stories of the power of these giant instruments and knew that they were associated with space flight.
Description
In the mid-1960s, most children had never seen an electronic computer. However, they had heard stories of the power of these giant instruments and knew that they were associated with space flight. This toy brought the mathematical principles of the digital computer into the home. The manual describes several problems that could be set up, including a basic check out of whether the device was functioning properly, counting down from 7 to 1 in binary, logical riddles, and the game of NIM. There is a special piece that can be used to represent the logical operation "or." The toy was made by E.S.R., Inc. of Orange and Montclair, New Jersey. It sold for about $5.00.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1965
date received
1977
maker
E.S.R., Incorporated
ID Number
1978.0067.59
catalog number
1978.0067.59
accession number
1978.0067

Pamphlet, From Abacus to Monroe

This illustrated pamphlet describes the development of computing devices from the abacus (attibuted to the Babyloniand and Egyptians) to the calculating machines of Baldwin and Monroe.Currently not on view
Description
This illustrated pamphlet describes the development of computing devices from the abacus (attibuted to the Babyloniand and Egyptians) to the calculating machines of Baldwin and Monroe.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.3074.20
catalog number
1979.3074.20
nonaccession number
1979.3074

Leaflet, Portable . . . The Small Electric Monroe

This illustrated leaflet describes the 14 1/2 pound portable Model LA and Model LA-5 calculating machines.Currently not on view
Description
This illustrated leaflet describes the 14 1/2 pound portable Model LA and Model LA-5 calculating machines.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Monroe Calculating Machine Company
ID Number
1979.3074.23
catalog number
1979.3074.23
nonaccession number
1979.3074

Sheets, Monroe High Speed Adding - Calculator

Each of these sheets describes a different Monroe calculating machine. The models described are the KAA Series 3, the LA-X, the Executive (e.g. the L 160-X, the L 200-x, and the L1207), and the MA.Currently not on view
Description
Each of these sheets describes a different Monroe calculating machine. The models described are the KAA Series 3, the LA-X, the Executive (e.g. the L 160-X, the L 200-x, and the L1207), and the MA.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930s
maker
Monroe Calculating Machine Company
ID Number
1979.3074.22
catalog number
1979.3074.22
nonaccession number
1979.3074

Keuffel & Esser 1634 Triangular Chain Scale

This 12-inch triangular boxwood rule has indentations along each side. One side has scales divided to 1/20" (numbered by ones from 0 to 24) and 1/50" (numbered by twos from 0 to 60). This side is marked: 1634 KEUFFEL & ESSER Co. N.Y.
Description
This 12-inch triangular boxwood rule has indentations along each side. One side has scales divided to 1/20" (numbered by ones from 0 to 24) and 1/50" (numbered by twos from 0 to 60). This side is marked: 1634 KEUFFEL & ESSER Co. N.Y. The second side has scales divided to 1/40" (numbered by twos from 0 to 48) and 1/80" (numbered by fours from 0 to 96). The third side has scales divided to 1/30" (numbered by twos from 0 to 36) and 1/60" (numbered by fours from 0 to 72). One end of the rule is marked: LARSEN.
The Eugene Dietzgen Company sold model 1626 from at least 1904, when it cost 90¢, to at least 1952, when it cost $2.30. William J. Ellenberger (1908–2008), who donated this object, studied electrical and mechanical engineering at The George Washington University between 1925 and 1934. He then worked for the Potomac Electric Power Company and the National Bureau of Standards. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He was a civilian construction management engineer for the army from 1954 to 1968, when he became a private consultant.
References: Catalogue & Price List of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 7th ed. (Chicago, 1904), 160; Catalogue & Price List of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 12th ed. (Chicago, 1926), 168; Catalogue & Price List of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 14th ed. (Chicago, 1931), 189; Catalogue & Price List of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 16th ed. (Chicago, 1952), 215; "The GW Engineering Hall of Fame 2006 Inductees," http://www.weas.gwu.edu/ifaf/hall_of_fame_inductees_2006.php.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1913–1921
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1981.0933.12
catalog number
1981.0933.12
accession number
1981.0933

Pamphlet, Book of Monroe Features

This illustrated pamphlet describes the operation and distribution of Monroe calculating machines.Currently not on view
Description
This illustrated pamphlet describes the operation and distribution of Monroe calculating machines.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.3074.19
catalog number
1979.3074.19
nonaccession number
1979.3074

Monroe Model 8N-213 Calculating Machine

This fully automatic electric non-printing modified stepped drum calculating machine has a gray and black steel frame, and ten columns of gray and white oblong plastic keys. At the bottom of each column is a key for clearing it.
Description
This fully automatic electric non-printing modified stepped drum calculating machine has a gray and black steel frame, and ten columns of gray and white oblong plastic keys. At the bottom of each column is a key for clearing it. Between the columns of keys and under the keyboard are metal rods which turn to serve as decimal markers. They are painted white on one side and the same black as the case on the other.
To the right of the number keys are subtraction and addition bars, two carriage shift keys, and a green enter multiplier key. Below these are three levers, one to set repeated entries, one for multiplication, and one for non-entry. Below these are three red keys relating to entering the dividend, a gray keyboard clearance key, and a lock lever. Beneath the number keys are five keys relating to multiplication and division. A DIVD ALIGN key is left of these.
The carriage in back of the keyboard has ten dials to show a number set up for multiplication, 21 dials to show the result, and a row containing ten white dials and then 11 black dials. Sliding decimal markers are provided. The dials showing numbers set up for multiplication can be set at any of five positions. A metal piece slides over the windows for these dials to indicate the decimal point. A gray electrical cord attaches to the back. The gray cover is separate.
A mark on the carriage reads: MONROE. The same mark is on the back of the machine, with the Monroe logo trademarked in 1956. A mark on both right and left sides reads: MONROmatic. A paper sticker glued to the bottom of the machine reads: MONROE (/) CALCULATING MACHINE (/) COMPANY, INC. (/) ORANGE, N.J. U.S.A.. It also is marked with patent numbers that range from 2,250,403 to 2,732,129. The second patent date is from 1953. A metal tag attached to the bottom of the machine reads: MODEL 8N-213 (/) SERIAL B973812B. There is no mention of Litton Industries, which acquired Monroe Calculating Machine Company in 1958.
According to the accession file, the machine was purchased by the University of Pittsburgh 14 September 1960, at a cost of $880, for use in parapsychological research.
Compare to MA.335425 and 1984.3046.01.
Reference:
Accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1960
maker
Monroe Calculating Machine Company, Inc.
ID Number
1980.0255.01
catalog number
1980.0255.01
maker number
B973812B
accession number
1980.0255

Keuffel & Esser 4053-3 Polyphase Mannheim Duplex Slide Rule

This ten-inch one-sided wooden slide rule is coated with white celluloid. The indicator is glass with white plastic edges attached by metal screws. The base has A, D, and K scales.
Description
This ten-inch one-sided wooden slide rule is coated with white celluloid. The indicator is glass with white plastic edges attached by metal screws. The base has A, D, and K scales. The slide has B, CI, and C scales on one side of the slide and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The top and bottom edges are beveled; the top has a simply divided scale 10 inches long and divided to sixteenths of an inch, while the bottom has a simply divided scale 25 centimeters long and divided to millimeters.
The left end of the slide has the model number in red: 4053-3. The right end is marked in red: © (/) K+E. The left end of the back of the slide has a serial number: 169518. Underneath the slide is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.; MADE IN U.S.A. Engraved directly on the back of the rule are tables of measures labeled: CONVERSION FACTORS. Centered underneath the tables is: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.
Keuffel & Esser made slide rules of this type from 1909 to 1967. McCoy notes that this version of model 4053-3 (with this model number and the engraved tables) was introduced in 1954. In 1959, the rule sold in a plain case for $13.50. In 1962, model number 4053-3 was changed to 68-1622. The serial number suggests a date closer to the late 1950s than to the early 1960s. Compare to the earlier rule, 1981.0933.05.
References: Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 192; Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4053 Family of Slide Rules," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4053family.htm; K+E Catalog, 42nd ed. (New York, 1954), 271; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg; Eric Marcotte, "The Evolution of a Slide Rule – The K&E 4053-3," http://www.sliderule.ca/4053.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1954-1962
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1981.0922.08
accession number
1981.0922
catalog number
1981.0922.08

Pamphlet, An Interview with the Father of the Calculating Machine

This illustrated booklet, prepared as an advertisement for Monroe calculating machines, recounts the endeavors of inventor Frank S. Baldwin and businessman Jay Randolph Monroe, partly in Baldwin's words.Currently not on view
Description
This illustrated booklet, prepared as an advertisement for Monroe calculating machines, recounts the endeavors of inventor Frank S. Baldwin and businessman Jay Randolph Monroe, partly in Baldwin's words.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.3074.18
catalog number
1979.3074.18
nonaccession number
1979.3074

Keuffel & Esser N4053-3 Polyphase Mannheim Simplex Slide Rule

This ten-inch one-sided mahogany slide rule is coated with white celluloid. The top is beveled and bears a scale of nine inches whose ends may have broken off. The base has A, D, and K scales.
Description
This ten-inch one-sided mahogany slide rule is coated with white celluloid. The top is beveled and bears a scale of nine inches whose ends may have broken off. 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 indicator is glass with plastic edges held together with metal screws. The top plastic edge is broken. The front edge of the rule has a scale of 25 centimeters. 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. Compare the table to 1999.0254.01.
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: < N4053-3 >. The left end of the other side of the slide and the scale of centimeters have the serial number: 350305. The top of the base and under the slide are scratched with the initials: PML. The bottom plastic edge of the indicator is marked: PATENT 2,086,502, with K&E CO. N.Y., on the back of the edge.
Keuffel & Esser of New York sold this slide rule as model N4053-3 from 1925 through 1953. Illustrations in K&E catalogs include the patent date of June 5, 1900, from 1925 through 1934. The serial number suggests the rule was made closer to 1934. However, the patent on the indicator was issued in 1937, suggesting that this part was replaced after the rule was purchased. Compare to 1981.0922.08.
William J. Ellenberger (1908–2008) donated this object. He studied electrical and mechanical engineering at The George Washington University between 1925 and 1934. He then worked for the Potomac Electric Power Company and the National Bureau of Standards. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He was a civilian construction management engineer for the army from 1954 to 1968, when he became a private consultant.
References: Adolf W. Keuffel, "Runner for Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,086,502 issued July 6, 1937); Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4053 Family of Slide Rules," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4053family.htm; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg; Wayne E. Feely, "K & E Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 49, no. 5 (June 1996): 50–52; "The GW Engineering Hall of Fame 2006 Inductees," http://www.weas.gwu.edu/ifaf/hall_of_fame_inductees_2006.php.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1925-1934
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1981.0933.05
catalog number
1981.0933.05
accession number
1981.0933

Pamphlet, Monroe Methods for the Extraction of Square Roots

This pamphlet described three methods for finding square roots using a Monroe calculating machine that could add, subtract, multiply, and divide.Currently not on view
Description
This pamphlet described three methods for finding square roots using a Monroe calculating machine that could add, subtract, multiply, and divide.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.3074.21
catalog number
1979.3074.21
nonaccession number
1979.3074

Leaflet, The Answer. . . Says Business

This illustrated leaflet advertises the MA-7-W calculating machine.Currently not on view
Description
This illustrated leaflet advertises the MA-7-W calculating machine.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.3074.24
catalog number
1979.3074.24
nonaccession number
1979.3074

Pair of Keuffel & Esser 1375P-20 Chain Scales with Drafting Machine Mounts

These beveled boxwood rules are faced with white celluloid on the sloping edges. On both rules, one edge is divided to 1/32" and numbered by ones twice. The 18-3/4" rule is numbered from 0 to 36 and from 0 to 18, and the 12-3/4" rule is numbered from 0 to 24 and from 0 to 12.
Description
These beveled boxwood rules are faced with white celluloid on the sloping edges. On both rules, one edge is divided to 1/32" and numbered by ones twice. The 18-3/4" rule is numbered from 0 to 36 and from 0 to 18, and the 12-3/4" rule is numbered from 0 to 24 and from 0 to 12. The other edge is divided to 1/32" and numbered by ones. The longer rule is numbered from 0 to 72, and the shorter rule is numbered from 0 to 48. As marks on the rules indicate, the first scale is "half size" and "full size," for making drawings at proportions of 1/2" and 1" to the foot. The other scale is "quarter size," for making drawings at proportions of 1/4" to the foot.
The rules are marked: PARAGON 1375P-20 K+E KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. Both ends of both rules have irregularly-shaped aluminum mounts that may be screwed to a drafting machine. A green cardboard box for the shorter rule is marked at one end: K+E PARAGON (/) DRAFT. MACH. SCALE (/) 1375P-20 12 IN. (/) MADE IN U.S.A. TRADE MARKS ®.
Keuffel & Esser was selling drafting machine scales in various configurations by 1936. The firm introduced model 1375P-20 sometime between 1943 and 1954. According to the donor, the instrument was used by her husband, the electrical engineer Robert H. Wieler (1923–1993).
References: Catalogue and Price List of Keuffel & Esser Co., 38th ed. (New York, 1936), 206–207; Catalogue and Price List of Keuffel & Esser Co., 42nd ed. (New York, 1954), 176.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1998.0032.14
catalog number
1998.0032.14
accession number
1998.0032

Puzzle, Puzzle Picks

This set of puzzles consists of fifty-two (there are room in the box for sixty-four) small plastic sticks similar in size to toothpicks, as well as a leaflet giving eighty puzzles that involve starting with a given arrangement of "picks" and arriving at another arrangement.
Description
This set of puzzles consists of fifty-two (there are room in the box for sixty-four) small plastic sticks similar in size to toothpicks, as well as a leaflet giving eighty puzzles that involve starting with a given arrangement of "picks" and arriving at another arrangement. For example, one is given a row of five equal squares and told to "rearrange 4 picks to make 4 squares." The picks and puzzle book are in a cardboard box, but only the solutions to the first three puzzles are given.
A mark on the box reads: KOHNER PUZZLE PICKS FASCINATING SOLITAIRE PUZZLE GAME BY THE MAKERS OF HI-Q. The instruction leaflet is copyrighted 1967.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1967?
date made
ca 1967
maker
Kohner Bros., Inc.
ID Number
2005.0055.04
accession number
2005.0055
catalog number
2005.0055.04

Sterling 544 Protractor and Drawing Instrument

This clear plastic semicircular protractor is contained within an irregularly shaped piece of plastic that features a French curve at the top, two triangles (of 60° and 45°) on the sides, and a 5-1/2" scale along the bottom.The scale is divided to 16ths of an inch and is marked b
Description
This clear plastic semicircular protractor is contained within an irregularly shaped piece of plastic that features a French curve at the top, two triangles (of 60° and 45°) on the sides, and a 5-1/2" scale along the bottom.
The scale is divided to 16ths of an inch and is marked by single inches from 1" to 5". The protractor is divided to single degrees and marked by tens from 10° to 90° to 170° and from 170° to 90° to 10°. A semicircular slot separates the protractor from the French curve. Cut-out stencils for six circles range in diameter from 1/8" to 7/16". Also included are two slots for drawing angles of 30° and 45° and templates for an equilateral hexagon and two closed curves. On the curve the object is marked: SP [/] PROTRACTOR – FRENCH CURVE – TRIANGLES – RULER – CIRCLE GAUGES. Between the protractor and scale, the object is marked: MADE IN U.S.A.; 2; STERLING 544. The markings were stamped in black but are wearing off.
Sterling Plastics was operated by George and Mary Staab in Mountainside, N. J., through the late 1960s. It was a division of Borden Chemical Company in the 1970s and 1980s, during which time this object was called the 7-IN-1 Protractor. For other products of Sterling Plastics, see slide rule 1988.0807.01 and adding machine MA.335327. James J. Williams gave this protractor to the Smithsonian.
Reference: Toxic Substances Control Act: Trademarks and Product Names Reported in Conjunction with the Chemical Substance Initial Inventory (Washington, D.C.: United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1979), 90.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1975
maker
Sterling Plastics
ID Number
1998.3104.01
nonaccession number
1998.3104
catalog number
1998.3104.01

Keuffel & Esser 4054 Polyphase Mannheim Simplex Slide Rule

This ten-inch mahogany linear slide rule is coated with white celluloid on the front and on both sides of the slide. The base has A, D, and K scales. One side of the slide has B, CI, and C scales; the other side has S, L, and T scales.
Description
This ten-inch mahogany linear slide rule is coated with white celluloid on the front and on both sides of the slide. The base has A, D, and K scales. One side of the slide has B, CI, and C scales; the other side has S, L, and T scales. 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 indicator is glass with a plastic frame, of the style used by Keuffel & Esser after the 1937 patent indicated by the mark on the top edge of the frame: PATENT 2,086,502. A piece of the bottom edge of the frame is missing.
The top of the base is marked in red: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PAT. 1,934,232, MADE IN U.S.A. The patent was issued in 1933 and refers to an improvement in assembling the instrument so that users could not as easily over-tighten the screws used to adjust the rule. The right end of the slide is marked in red with the model number: < 4054 >. The left end of the back of the slide and the front left corner of the base are marked with a serial number: 120337.
The rule fits in a cardboard case covered with black leather. The top of the flap is marked: K & E (/) SLIDE RULE. The front of the flap is marked: 4054 (/) K + E. The case fits into a dark green cardboard box. Also inside the box is K&E pamphlet no. 3-44, titled "How to take care of your K & E slide rule: Mannheim" and copyrighted in 1944. Keuffel and Esser of New York sold this version of model 4054 from 1944 through 1952; the serial number is consistent with a date closer to 1944. The price in 1947 was $9.00. This example was purchased by the donor's grandfather, Abraham Nezin (1891–1987), when he took a course on operating new equipment obtained for his laundry on South Capital Street in Southwest Washington, D.C.
References: Adolf W. Keuffel, "Slide Rules," (U.S. Patent 1,934,232 issued November 7, 1933); Adolf W. Keuffel, "Runner for Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,086,502 issued July 6, 1937); Bob Otnes, "Adolf Keuffel and the Later K&E Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 8, no. 1 (1999): 37–38; Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4054 Family," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4054family.htm; 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
1944-1952
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
2001.0117.01
accession number
2001.0117
catalog number
2001.0117.01

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