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.

Topic: Scale Rules

Rule Advertising the Twentieth Anniversary of Personal TEX, Inc.

This clear plastic giveaway advertises the twentieth anniversary of Personal TEX, Inc., "the integrated LATEX Envitonment." It has a scale of 8 inches divided to 32ds of an inch along the bottom, a scale of 20.5 centimeters divided to millimeters along the top, a scale of inches
Description
This clear plastic giveaway advertises the twentieth anniversary of Personal TEX, Inc., "the integrated LATEX Envitonment." It has a scale of 8 inches divided to 32ds of an inch along the bottom, a scale of 20.5 centimeters divided to millimeters along the top, a scale of inches divided to tenths of an inch along the middle, and a scale of picas/points above this.
The rule was collected at the Joint Mathematics Meeting of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America in January 2015.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2015
distributor
Personal TeX, Inc.
maker
Personal TeX, Inc.
ID Number
2015.3169.02
nonaccession number
2015.3129
catalog number
2015.3169.02

Moore Business Forms Continuous Forms Planning Rule

This steel rule was used in the design of early computer printouts produced by dot matrix printers. The rule has a scale of 18" along one side, divided to 1/32" for the first two inches and then to 1/16".
Description
This steel rule was used in the design of early computer printouts produced by dot matrix printers. The rule has a scale of 18" along one side, divided to 1/32" for the first two inches and then to 1/16". Each inch division, up to 17, is labeled with a number of punch cards, starting with 140 cards at 1" and going up to 2,380 cards. A hole 3/16" in diameter is placed at each 1/4" and 3/4" mark up to 11-1/4" (23 holes total). These were used for setting pinfeed holes down the side of the forms for continuous feeding.
The center of the instrument has four holes 7/16" in diameter and four holes 5/8" in diameter. These are for designing holes to be punched in forms for filing. The front of the rule also has a scale of inches divided to 1/10", with subdivisions numbered from 1 to 130. This scale is a printer spacing chart, allowing the user to determine the space required for fields to be printed on the form, since each character required 1/10" of space. The rule is marked: MOORE BUSINESS FORMS, INC. Branches across the (/) United States & Canada. It is also marked at the right end: MADE IN U.S.A.
The back of the rule has a scale of inches divided to 1/12" along one edge. Along the other edge is a scale in units of 5/32" that is numbered from 1 to 100. A scale labeled "RG" has divisions the same size and is numbered from 1 to 45. This side is also marked: MOORE BUSINESS FORMS, INC. Branches across the (/) United States & Canada.
According to the donor, the 18"-size rule was considered more desirable than a 16" such as the example in the collections made by Graphic Technology (see 2006.0174.04). Fanfold paper such as that manufactured by Moore Business Forms was used from the mid-1950s into the 2000s, in association with both punched card equipment and computers.
Reference: "RR Donnelley Business Forms History," http://www.rrdonnelley.com/print-solutions/forms/history.aspx.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 20th century
ID Number
2006.0174.03
catalog number
2006.0174.03
accession number
2006.0174

Wang Rule

This two-sided WANG rule has spacing guides for horizontal and vertical measures. It was used in the 1980s by the museum’s Office of the Registrar to design typed forms (not computer printouts).The front of the rule has four different horizontal scale divisions.
Description
This two-sided WANG rule has spacing guides for horizontal and vertical measures. It was used in the 1980s by the museum’s Office of the Registrar to design typed forms (not computer printouts).
The front of the rule has four different horizontal scale divisions. Along the top edge are a 14 inch scale marked in 16ths and a 168 space scale marked 12 spaces to the inch. The bottom edge has a 140 space scale marked 10 spaces to the inch and a 210 space scale marked 15 spaces to the inch. The back has three vertical scale divisions. Along the top edge are a 110 space scale marked eight lines to the inch and a 350 mm scale. Along the bottom edge is an 84 space scale marked 6 lines to the inch.
The museum acquired a WANG minicomputer system in 1982 -- a VS80 with two 75mb hard drives (each one was about the size of a modern dishwasher) and 14 workstations. The minicomputer was used for word processing, email, and data entry. This particular rule was given away with the minicomputer but not used in designing computer printouts. Instead, in the 1980s the Office of the Registrar made an effort to design forms that could be completed on a typewriter. The designs had to be precisely spaced horizontally and vertically so that each line/field would accurately line up when using typewriter tab and/or carriage return keys. This rule was used to ensure that accuracy.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1982
ca 1980
maker
Wang Laboratories
ID Number
2017.0318.01
accession number
2017.0318
catalog number
2017.0318.01

Graphic Technology Continuous Forms Planning Rule

This steel rule was used to design forms to be printed continuously on a dot matrix printer. On one side along one long edge, it has a 16" scale divided to 1/32" for the first two inches and then to 1/16".
Description
This steel rule was used to design forms to be printed continuously on a dot matrix printer. On one side along one long edge, it has a 16" scale divided to 1/32" for the first two inches and then to 1/16". Every 1/8" increment is numbered, corresponding to the vertical spacing of characters on some printouts made by IBM computers. Each inch division up to 9 is labeled with a number of punch cards, starting at 160 cards at the 1" mark and going up to 1,280 cards. A hole 3/16" in diameter is placed at each 1/4" and 3/4" mark up to 11-3/4" (24 holes total). These were used for setting pinfeed holes down the side of the forms for continuous feeding.
The lower left corner has four holes 7/16" in diameter, and four holes 5/8" in diameter are in the lower right corner. These were used in designing holes to be punched in forms so that they could be easily filed in folders. The other long edge has a 40 cm scale divided to millimeters. This side is marked: GTi GRAPHIC TECHNOLOGY, INC. (/) 9910 Widmer Road P.O. Box 14646 Lenexa, Kansas 66215 (/) (913) 492-9615. It is also marked: • BAR CODED SHELF LABELS (/) • CASE AND PRICE LABELS (/) • SHELF MOLDING, CHIPS, ETC. (/) • CUSTOM PRESSURE SENSITIVE LABELS. The left end is marked: MADE IN U.S.A. (/) No. 16M8. Between the lines of this mark is a deer leaping to the right through a letter D. This logo is presumably for the company that manufactured the rule, but it was apparently not used by the John Deere Company.
The back of the rule has a scale divided to 1/12" and numbered in 1/6" increments, from 1 to 96, along one long edge. The other long edge has a scale divided to 1/10" and numbered from 1 to 160. These scales also correspond to vertical spacing of characters in computer printouts. Compare to 2006.0174.03.
Benjamin S. Mulitz (b. 1919), the donor, worked with punched card equipment and computers from 1940 until 1985. He used both Remington Rand and IBM products. He was employed by the federal government and then in the wholesale drug industry. Graphic Technology, Inc., operated under that name from 1975 to 2004, when the label-maker was purchased by Vestcom International.
References: Stephen Roth, "JoCo Printer Affixes New Owner Label," Kansas City Business Journal, December 26, 2004, http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2004/12/27/story1.html; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975–2004
ID Number
2006.0174.04
accession number
2006.0174
catalog number
2006.0174.04

Uarco Rule

This two-sided rule made by Uarco Incorporated has its original manila paper sleeve. The front of the rule has a silver background with black markings and the back has a black background with silver marking. The front is marked with two scales.
Description
This two-sided rule made by Uarco Incorporated has its original manila paper sleeve. The front of the rule has a silver background with black markings and the back has a black background with silver marking. The front is marked with two scales. Along the top edge, the 16 inch length is divided into 16th of an inch spaces. The bottom edge is marked with a 160 space scale divided into tenths of an inch. The back also has two scales, a 50 centimeter metric scale divided into millimeters along the top edge and a 16 inch scale divided into 6ths and 12ths along the bottom edge.
The rule was used by museum staff to mark out lines of typed data and to confirm character and line spacing on optical character recognition (OCR) typed pages.
In 1975 the museum began automating its accession records. Information from these records was typed on an IBM Selectric typewriter using special paper designed for OCR scanning and an OCR-A type font element. Each page started with a formatted unique number and each line of data started with a 5-digit code that identified the type of data and the line number associated with it. (e.g. 11001 identified the data as the donor name on line 1; 11002 would identify a second donor name.)
If there was a line of data on an OCR typed page that was not to be scanned, a black pen was used to draw a horizontal line through the center of the 5-digit line code. The OCR scanner would ignore any data line if it detected a 5-space black line. This rule was used to draw an accurate line.
To ensure accurate scans, the data had to be precisely spaced both horizontally and vertically. This rule was used to check the number of spaces between the line code and the start of the data, the space between the OCR characters, as well as the vertical distance between data lines. Data entry workers could reinsert typed pages into the typewriter to correct typographical errors (using the Selectric’s correction tape) or to add data lines at the bottom of a page. The rule was used to confirm the horizontal and vertical spacing accuracy of these edits.
Once all editing was completed, the OCR pages were scanned and copied to 9-track magnetic reel tape by a third party vendor, and then processed on the Smithsonian’s Honeywell mainframe computer.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Uarco Incorporated
ID Number
2017.0318.02
accession number
2017.0318
catalog number
2017.0318.02

Rule, Forms Handling and Data Systems by Standard Register

This stainless steel rule is designed for use in designing forms and program printouts. On one side it has a scale of equal parts 16 inches long divided to 1/32th of an inch, and another scale of 16 inches divided into 160 parts (10 per inch).
Description
This stainless steel rule is designed for use in designing forms and program printouts. On one side it has a scale of equal parts 16 inches long divided to 1/32th of an inch, and another scale of 16 inches divided into 160 parts (10 per inch). The other side has a scale 40 centimeters long divided to half centimeters. There also is a scale of form widths in inches, and a scale of equal parts ranging from 0 to 96. There also are scales of file hole spacings.
A mark on the object reads: FORM HANDLING AND DATA SYSTEMS (/) BY STANDARD REGISTER. Another mark reads: CHICAGO (/) ETCHING (/) CORPORATION.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Chicago Etching Corporation
ID Number
2010.0239.03
catalog number
2010.0239.03
accession number
2010.0239

Gerber GraphAnalogue, Model GA-103

This instrument has a rectangular aluminum base, painted black, with unpainted aluminum endpieces. A clear plastic piece with a crosshair, attached to an aluminum bracket, slides over the base.
Description
This instrument has a rectangular aluminum base, painted black, with unpainted aluminum endpieces. A clear plastic piece with a crosshair, attached to an aluminum bracket, slides over the base. The base is marked with 15 scales, labeled RI, RF, RC, I, F, CM, T, S/CO, D, ( )2, ( )1/2, ( )1/3, L10, Le, P. It is also marked: THE GERBER SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT COMPANY HARTFORD, CONN. GERBER GRAPHANALOGUE MODEL GA-103 PATS. 2530955–2561020 OTHERS PENDING MADE IN U.S.A.
Across the top are two metal springs, encased in plastic and attached to the left endpiece and the slide. The front spring has six small, equally spaced discs that are marked with the numbers 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. The back spring has 103 coils, 100 of which are calibrated. Every tenth coil is marked red, every fifth is blue-green, and the others are white. The bottom of the instrument is marked: R-203.
A tan leather case is lined with brown velvet. Inside the lid is marked: THE GERBER SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT COMPANY (/) HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT. Two orange cards have grids and are marked: SPRING LENGTH = 1.000 INCHES. One card has a curve drawn in pencil and is marked in ink: CALIBRATION CURVE FOR (/) READING NON-LINEAR AMPLITUDES (/) DIRECTLY, MULTIPLIED BY SCALE (/) FACTOR. For an instruction manual, see 1994.0113.05.
Heinz Joseph Gerber (1924–1996) was a refugee from Nazi-controlled Austria. With a partner, he established the Gerber Scientific Instrument Company in Hartford, Conn., to manufacture the Gerber Variable Scale that he invented in 1945. (See 1994.0113.01 and 1994.3104.01.) By 1953 he developed a variation on that instrument that the company marketed as the GraphAnalogue, for converting graphs to linear, reciprocal, trigonometric, logarithmic, or probability equations. Gerber ultimately held about 650 U.S. and foreign patents for calculating instruments, digital drafting machines, and robotic and electronic manufacturing systems for products from electronics to textiles. The firm was renamed Gerber Scientific, Inc., in 1978.
References: Arthur Bartlett, "A Quick Spring to Success," Nation's Business (October 1949): 43–45, 62–64; Heinz Joseph Gerber, "Instrument for Measuring, Interpolating, and the Like" (U.S. Patent 2,530,955 issued November 21, 1950) and "Instrument for Measuring, Interpolating, and the Like" (U.S. Patent 2,561,020 issued July 17, 1951); "Our Founder," Gerber Scientific, http://www.gspinc.com/default.asp?contentID=192; "Gerber Scientific, Inc. History," in International Directory of Company Histories, vol. 12 (St. James Press, 1996), http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/gerber-scientific-inc-history/.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1953
maker
Gerber Scientific Instrument Company
ID Number
1994.0113.02
accession number
1994.0113
catalog number
1994.0113.02

National Bureau of Standards SP-376 Pocket Rule

This white plastic promotional rule has a scale of centimeters along the top edge, divided to millimeters and numbered by ones from 1 to 15, and a scale of inches along the bottom edge, divided to 1/16" and numbered by ones from 1 to 6.
Description
This white plastic promotional rule has a scale of centimeters along the top edge, divided to millimeters and numbered by ones from 1 to 15, and a scale of inches along the bottom edge, divided to 1/16" and numbered by ones from 1 to 6. The center of the rule is marked: For Good Measure from the National Bureau of Standards (/) Washington, D. C. 20234.
The back of the rule has a table comparing metric and customary units of length, volume, and weight. A second table explains the prefixes used in the metric system and gives conversions to yards, quarts, and pounds. The back is marked: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (/) National Bureau of Standards (/) Washington, D. C. 20234 (/) NBS Special Publication 376 (/) Issued December 1972 (/) For sale by the Superintendent of (/) Documents, U.S. Government Printing (/) Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 (/) (Order by SD Catalog No. C13.10:376). (/) Price 25 cents.
In order to encourage Americans to adopt the metric system, NBS (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology) distributed this rule in the 1970s both individually and as part of a "metric kit," NBS Special Publication 410, which also included four informational pamphlets and a conversion card.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1972
maker
National Bureau of Standards
ID Number
1990.3146.02
catalog number
1990.3146.02
nonaccession number
1990.3146

Alteneder Opposite Bevel Chain Scale Retailed by B. K. Elliott

This six-inch wooden ruler is beveled and coated with white plastic along both long edges. One side is divided to 1/50" and numbered in both directions from 0 to 6. The number "50" is printed below the three-inch mark, and the center of the rule is marked: ALTENEDER.
Description
This six-inch wooden ruler is beveled and coated with white plastic along both long edges. One side is divided to 1/50" and numbered in both directions from 0 to 6. The number "50" is printed below the three-inch mark, and the center of the rule is marked: ALTENEDER. The other side is divided to 1/32" and numbered in both directions from 0 to 6. The number "32" is printed below the three-inch mark, and the wooden part of the rule is marked: B. K. ELLIOTT Co. PITTSBURGH – CLEVELAND. It is also marked: R. S. C. It is also marked: U.S. ST'D.
Theodore Alteneder began making drawing instruments in Philadelphia in 1850, and the firm remains in existence as a manufacturer of photoengraving equipment. Byron Kenneth Elliott (b. 1870) opened a store in Pittsburgh in 1897 that sold drawing, surveying, and optical equipment. The shop closed in 1980. The donor's father, Robert S. Condon, used this instrument.
The date for this object is uncertain. Theo. Alteneder & Sons made a 6" opposite bevel scale with white edges and these divisions as model 2232 from 1940 (when it cost $1.35) to at least 1958 (when it cost $3.25). However, according to catalog illustrations, the company mark during this period had the firm's full name around a circle, while this object has only "Alteneder" in a straight line. The scale does not appear in the 3rd, 5th, or 1948 7th editions of B. K. Elliott catalogs.
References: "Byron Kenneth Elliott," in History of Pittsburgh and Environs (New York and Chicago: American Historical Society, 1922), 35–36; Alteneder Drawing Instruments (Philadelphia, 1940), 26; Alteneder Drawing Instruments (Philadelphia, 1958), 26; Catalogue and Price List of B. K. Elliott Co., 3rd ed. (Pittsburgh, n.d.), 134, 140; Catalogue and Price List of B. K. Elliott Co., 5th ed. (Pittsburgh, n.d.), 135; Catalogue and Price List of B. K. Elliott Co., 7th ed. (Pittsburgh, 1948).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
20th century
distributor
B. K. Elliott Co.
maker
Theodore Alteneder and Sons
ID Number
1991.0793.01
accession number
1991.0793
catalog number
1991.0793.01

Instruction Manual for Gerber Variable Scale

The citation information for this 40-page stapled booklet is: H. Joseph Gerber, The Gerber Variable Scale: An Application and Instruction Manual (Hartford, Conn.: The Gerber Scientific Instrument Company, 1981).
Description
The citation information for this 40-page stapled booklet is: H. Joseph Gerber, The Gerber Variable Scale: An Application and Instruction Manual (Hartford, Conn.: The Gerber Scientific Instrument Company, 1981). Gerber wrote these instructions in 1953 to accompany his invention; see 1994.0113.01. He inscribed this copy to Steve Lubar, who was chair of the division of history of technology when Gerber donated examples of several mathematical instruments he had invented.
The booklet explains the construction and use of the Gerber Variable Scale. It then describes typical problems that could be solved with the instrument, including finding points in a family of curves, translating curves, reading graphs more precisely, converting between proportional scales, enlarging and reducing engineering drawings, normalizing curves, interpolating points, counting cycles of frequencies, dividing one curve by another, determining the center of gravity, reading oscillograms, and mapping aerial photographs.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1981
maker
Gerber Scientific Instrument Co.
ID Number
1994.0113.04
accession number
1994.0113
catalog number
1994.0113.04

Plotting Scale

This two-sided six-inch boxwood rule has a scale of chords and architect's scales dividing the inch into 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, and 20 parts on one side.
Description
This two-sided six-inch boxwood rule has a scale of chords and architect's scales dividing the inch into 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, and 20 parts on one side. The other side has an inch scale divided to 1/10" and numbered by ones from 1 to 6; a scale divided to single units and numbered by tens from 10 to 50 (10 units is approximately 3 cm); and 5" plotting scales with diagonal scales at each end. One plotting scale is divided to 1/2" and numbered by ones from 10 to 1, and the other is divided to 1/4" and numbered by ones from 1 to 19. The left edge of the rule is scalloped. Compare to 1977.1101.0018.
Similar scales (with the scallop on the right edge) were sold for 10–15¢ by Dietzgen (model number 1690) from at least 1902 to 1912 and by Keuffel & Esser (model number 1616) from at least 1892 to 1913. Both companies stopped advertising the object before 1921. The Department of Entomology at the National Museum of Natural History used this rule to study its collections.
References: Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 6th ed. (Chicago, 1902), 135; Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 7th ed. (Chicago, 1904), 162; Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 9th ed. (Chicago, 1910-1912), 207; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 23rd ed. (New York, 1892), 126; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 33rd ed. (New York, 1909), 189; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 34th ed. (New York, 1913), 184.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
1990.0099.02
accession number
1990.0099
catalog number
1990.0099.02

Lufkin Reliable Junior Tape Measure

This 25-foot metal tape measure is divided to 1/16". The first 3" of the tape has broken off, and white cloth tape is wrapped around the broken end. At 6" the back of the tape is marked: LUFKIN.
Description
This 25-foot metal tape measure is divided to 1/16". The first 3" of the tape has broken off, and white cloth tape is wrapped around the broken end. At 6" the back of the tape is marked: LUFKIN. A brown leather case is marked on both sides: RELIABLE JUNIOR (/) PATENTED (/) 25 FT (/) LUFKIN RULE CO. (/) SAGINAW, MICH. USA. Pressing a metal button on one side of the case causes the metal crank handle on the other side to pop out. This handle is wound clockwise to retract the measure. It is marked: PATENTED (/) MAY 23, 1893.
The Lufkin Board and Log Rule Company of Cleveland, Ohio, began making steel tape measures in 1887 and moved to Saginaw, Mich., in 1892. Fred Buck (1858–1938), the company's general manager, applied for a patent on an extending crank attached to a revolving drum in 1892 and received it the next year. He received a second patent for a tape measure crank in 1907 that was advertised on the Reliable Junior product line by 1916. By 1903, Lufkin was the largest manufacturer of steel measuring tapes in the United States. The brand was taken over by Cooper Industries in 1967. The donor found this particular rule in a trapper's cabin in the mountains of British Columbia.
References: Fred Buck, "Tape Measure" (U.S. Patent 498,104 issued May 23, 1893) and "Tape Measure" (U.S. Patent 873,712 issued December 17, 1907); Lufkin Rule Company, Illustrated Catalogue and Price List of Steel Measuring Tapes (Saginaw, Mich., 1893), 2; Lufkin Rule Company, Catalogue of Measuring Tapes, Rules, Etc. (Saginaw, 1897), 4–6; Lufkin Rule Company, Measuring Tapes and Rules, cat. no. 9 (Saginaw, [1916]); Ed Fehn, "Milestones of the Lufkin Rule Company," http://www.roseantiquetools.com/id92.html; State of Michigan, "The Lufkin Rule Company," in Twentieth Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics (Lansing: Robert Smith Printing Co., 1903), 372.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1893-1907
maker
Lufkin Rule Company
ID Number
1985.0817.01
accession number
1985.0817
catalog number
1985.0817.01

Halpin Coairdinator Made for Aeronautical Information Data Systems

This 7" white plastic rule has scales for statute miles and surface speed in miles per hour along both long edges, at proportions of 1:1,000,000 and 1:500,000. The interior of the rule is marked: AERONAUTICAL (/) INFORMATION (/) DATA SYSTEMS (/) HALPIN COAIRDINATOR (/) T.M. REG.
Description
This 7" white plastic rule has scales for statute miles and surface speed in miles per hour along both long edges, at proportions of 1:1,000,000 and 1:500,000. The interior of the rule is marked: AERONAUTICAL (/) INFORMATION (/) DATA SYSTEMS (/) HALPIN COAIRDINATOR (/) T.M. REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. (/) COPYRIGHT 1947 BY HALPIN COAIRDINATOR COMPANY WORLD RIGHTS RESERVED. A blue plastic propeller is riveted next to the companies' names. The rule is also marked in English and Spanish: READ SURFACE SPEED BY (/) MEASURING DISTANCE (/) COVERED IN 10 MINUTES (/) ELAPSED TIME (/) SEE REVERSE SIDE FOR SPEED CONVERSIONS.
The back of the rule gives conversion factors for statute miles, nautical miles, and kilometers. This side also has conversion scales for feet and meters; liters, U.S. gallons, and imperial gallons; and kilometers, statute miles, and nautical miles. The center of the rule is marked: FOR CONVERSIONS ABOVE 100 ADD LIKE NUMBER OF CIPHERS TO EACH SCALE.
The Halpin Coairdinator Company was founded in Florida in 1943. The firm and Aeronautical Information Data Systems jointly copyrighted a chart in 1947, but that object (38 X 27 cm) was much larger than this object. Halpin Coairdinator later copyrighted devices in Brazil as well as in the United States. The National Air & Space Museum owns a flight-route plan and a dead reckoning computer made by the company. A Thomas E. Halpin was director of training at Embry-Riddle School of Aviation in Miami, Fla., in 1941. Before 1928, he worked for Stout Aircraft and designed airplanes in Cincinnati, Ohio.
References: Library of Congress, Catalog of Copyright Entries . . . Books . . . January–June 1947, 3rd ser., vol. 1 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1947), 115; Diário Oficial da União de 17 de Maio de 1954, p. 87, http://www.jusbrasil.com.br/diarios/2544433/dou-secao-1-17-05-1954-pg-87; Library of Congress, Catalog of Copyright Entries . . . Books and Pamphlets . . . January–June 1956, 3rd ser., vol. 10 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1957), 259; National Air & Space Museum, "Manufacturer: Halpin Coairdinator Co.," Collections, http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/cons.cfm?id=4932; Polk's Greater Miami City Directory (Jacksonville, Fla.: R. L. Polk & Co., 1941), 226; "Flamingo Production," Cincinnati Aviation Society & Museum, http://www.cahslunken.org/stories/FlamingoHist.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1947
maker
Halpin Coairdinator Company
ID Number
1977.1141.46
catalog number
336444
accession number
1977.1141

Darling, Brown and Sharpe Triangular Scale for Draughtsmen

This nickel-plated steel instrument is crimped in the middle so that the scales along both edges are angled, giving the object the appearance of a triangle and bringing the scale closer to the draftsman's work.
Description
This nickel-plated steel instrument is crimped in the middle so that the scales along both edges are angled, giving the object the appearance of a triangle and bringing the scale closer to the draftsman's work. Both edges have scales dividing one inch into 48 parts and scales divided to one inch and numbered by ones from 0 to 11. One edge is marked: D.B.&S. PROV. R.I. Pt. Aug. 3. 80.
Darling, Brown & Sharpe of Providence, R.I., marketed this rule to draftsmen and architects for making scale drawings in which 1" = 1'. For more information on the history of this rule, see 1977.0460.06, which is the same instrument with a scale of 3" = 1'. For another drafting tool designed by Samuel Darling, see 1990.0317.02. This example was owned by the renowned American designer of steam engines, Erasmus Darwin Leavitt Jr. (1836–1916), and donated by his granddaughter, Margaret van D. Rice.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880–1892
maker
Darling, Brown & Sharpe
ID Number
1977.0460.07
accession number
1977.0460
catalog number
336078

Triangular Open Divided Scale Signed William Minifee

This 12-inch triangular boxwood architect's rule has indentations along each side. On one side, one edge has a scale divided to 1/16" and numbered by ones from 0 to 12. The other edge has scales for 2" and 4" to the foot.
Description
This 12-inch triangular boxwood architect's rule has indentations along each side. On one side, one edge has a scale divided to 1/16" and numbered by ones from 0 to 12. The other edge has scales for 2" and 4" to the foot. Between these scales is a scale divided to 2" and numbered from left to right by ones from 0 to 2, and from right to left by ones from 0 to 1. This side is marked: WM MINIFIE. BALTIMORE.
One edge of the second side has scales for 1/2" and 1" to the foot. Between these scales is a scale divided to 1/2", numbered from left to right by ones from 0 to 20 and from right to left by ones from 0 to 10. The other edge has scales for 1/8" and 1/4" to the foot. Between these scales is a scale divided to 1/8", numbered from left to right by twos from 0 to 92 and from right to left by twos from 0 to 46. A white sticker on this side is marked: 786.
One edge of the third side has scales for 3/8" and 3/4" to the foot. Between these scales is a scale divided to 3/8", numbered from left to right by ones from 0 to 28 and from right to left by ones from 0 to 14. The other edge has scales for 1-1/2" and 3" to the foot. Between these scales is a scale divided to 1-1/2", numbered from left to right by ones from 0 to 4 and from right to left by ones from 0 to 2.
William Minifie (1805–1880) apprenticed as a cabinetmaker in England before moving to Baltimore in 1828. He became an architect and builder, professor of drawing at Central High School in Baltimore, and author of a successful textbook on geometrical drawing. A Textbook of Geometrical Drawing (Baltimore, 1849) does not, however, contain any illustrations of drawing instruments. In 1847 he purchased the bookstore that became Wm. Minifie (adding "& Son" in 1868), selling stationery and artist’s materials. The Maryland Historical Society holds his journal, MS 1993 and 1993.1, and photographs of his home at 80 N. Greene St. around 1870, the Baxley Family Collection, PP90. (Minifie's daughter, Gertrude, married the pharmacist Jackson Brown Baxley in 1865.)
The previous owner collected more than 1,200 hand tools and machine tools and displayed them at his family's building company in Baltimore, Md. This object was item number 786 in his collection.
References: C. Herbert Baxley, "Travel in the 1830s: The Diary of William Minifie," Maryland Historical Magazine 78 (1983): 287–296; Baltimore City Directories of 1863–64 (p. 192) and 1879 (p. 535).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1847–1868
retailer
Minifie, William
ID Number
1977.1101.0019
accession number
1977.1101
catalog number
1977.1101.0019

Plotting Scale

This two-sided boxwood rule has a scale of chords and architect's scales dividing the inch into 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, and 15 parts on one side. A white sticker on that side is marked: 783.
Description
This two-sided boxwood rule has a scale of chords and architect's scales dividing the inch into 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, and 15 parts on one side. A white sticker on that side is marked: 783. The other side has an inch scale divided to 1/10" and numbered by ones from 1 to 6; a scale divided to ones and numbered by tens from 10 to 50 (10 units is approximately 3 cm); and 5" plotting scales with diagonal scales at each end. One plotting scale is divided to 1/2" and numbered by ones from 10 to 1, and the other is divided to 1/4" and numbered by ones from 1 to 18. One edge of the rule is scalloped.
The previous owner collected more than 1,200 hand tools and machine tools and displayed them at his family's building company in Baltimore, Md. This object was item number 783 in his collection. It probably dates to the turn of the 20th century. Similar scales were sold for 10¢ to 15¢ by Dietzgen (model number 1690) from at least 1902 to 1912 and by Keuffel & Esser (model number 1616) from at least 1892 to 1913. Both companies stopped advertising the object before 1921.
References: Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 6th ed. (Chicago, 1902), 135; Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 7th ed. (Chicago, 1904), 162; Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 9th ed. (Chicago, 1910–1912), 207; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 23rd ed. (New York, 1892), 126; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 33rd ed. (New York, 1909), 189; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 34th ed. (New York, 1913), 184.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
1977.1101.0018
accession number
1977.1101
catalog number
1977.1101.0018

Drafting Scale Rule

This wooden rule has eight scales for making scale drawings. On one side, scales for 1-1/2" = 1' and 3" = 1' are along the top. Scales for 3/8" = 1' and 3/4" = 1' are along the bottom. On the other side, scales for 1/2" = 1' and 1" = 1' are along the top.
Description
This wooden rule has eight scales for making scale drawings. On one side, scales for 1-1/2" = 1' and 3" = 1' are along the top. Scales for 3/8" = 1' and 3/4" = 1' are along the bottom. On the other side, scales for 1/2" = 1' and 1" = 1' are along the top. Along the bottom are scales for 1/8" = 1' and 1/4" = 1'.
The interior on both sides is marked: E. D. L. JR. for the previous owner of the rule, Erasmus Darwin Leavitt Jr. (1836–1916), the renowned American mechanical engineer and designer of steam engines.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
1977.0460.03
accession number
1977.0460
catalog number
336074

Felsenthal High Angle Firing Table

The U.S. Army used this wooden high-angle firing table when positioning 155 mm howitzer guns firing high-energy shells. The instrument has a white coating on both sides. A yellowed plastic indicator has wooden edges that are held together with brass rivets.
Description
The U.S. Army used this wooden high-angle firing table when positioning 155 mm howitzer guns firing high-energy shells. The instrument has a white coating on both sides. A yellowed plastic indicator has wooden edges that are held together with brass rivets. The top edge of one side has scales for 100 yards and for range. This side also has three sets of scales for elevation, 10MSI, drift, and TF (target firing?). The sets of scales cover the use of M1 propellant with a muzzle velocity (MV) of 2,100; M1 propellant with MV 2,800; and M1917 propellant with MV 2,370. The left end is marked: 29105 (/) FT 155-S-2 C7 RULE No. 1. The right end is marked: HIGH ANGLE (/) GUN, 155MM. SHELL, H.E., M101 (/) M1 & M1A1 FUZE, M51.
The other side has scales for 100 yards and range along both long edges. The center of the rule has two sets of scales, both for elevation, fuze, drift, and fuze settings of M55 and M67 with M1 propellant. These sets of scales are marked with the letter N. The left end is marked: 29105 (/) FT 155-S-2 C7 RULE No 1. The right end is marked: GUN, 155 MM. SH. H.E., M101 (/) M1 & M1A1 FUZE, M51, M55, M67.
The Felsenthal Instrument Company of Chicago made these artillery rules for distribution by the bookstore at Fort Sill, Okla., from World War II through the Vietnam War. For other instruments used to position howitzers, see 1977.1141.25, 1977.1141.26, 1977.1141.27, and 2005.0271.02. For Felsenthal company history, see 1977.1141.01 and 1977.1141.02.
References: "Graphical Site Table," The Field Artillery Journal 35, no. 9 (September 1945): 548; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1960
maker
Felsenthal Instrument Co.
ID Number
1977.1141.28
catalog number
336412
accession number
1977.1141

Darling, Brown and Sharpe Triangular Scale for Draughtsmen

This nickel-plated steel instrument is crimped in the middle so that the scales along both edges are angled, giving the object the appearance of a triangle and bringing the scale closer to the draftsman's work.
Description
This nickel-plated steel instrument is crimped in the middle so that the scales along both edges are angled, giving the object the appearance of a triangle and bringing the scale closer to the draftsman's work. Both edges have scales dividing three inches into 96 parts and scales divided to 3" and numbered by ones from 0 to 3. One edge is marked: D.B.&S. PROV. R.I. Pt. Aug. 3. 80. The crimp is marked: No. 1.
Draftsmen and architects could use this rule to make scale drawings in which 3" = 1'. Samuel Darling, a machinist who partnered between 1866 and 1892 with Joseph R. Brown and Lucian Sharpe of Providence, R.I., patented the general design in 1880. He desired a material that was not as susceptible to environmental changes as wood and a design that was not as heavy and expensive as the early forms of tubular triangular rules being manufactured by Darling, Brown & Sharpe and other firms.
Darling, Brown & Sharpe sold the rule in graduations from 3" = 1' to 1/2" = 1' for $1.00. ID number 1977.0460.07 is the same rule with a 1" = 1' scale. For engineers, the rule was available divided from 20ths to 1,000ths of an inch. A "miscellaneous" version had different scales on each edge, graduated along the entire edge in increments from 1/16" to 1/100". In its advertisements, which used the English spelling for "draughtsmen," the company explained that putting only one scale on each instrument would help prevent draftsmen from becoming confused and making mistakes.
The Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Company continued to sell the rule after Darling's interest was bought out in 1892. The company then offered the scale in graduations down to 1/8" = 1' and increased the price to $1.25. By 1929, Brown & Sharpe offered only the miscellaneous version for $2.00. This example was owned by the renowned American designer of steam engines, Erasmus Darwin Leavitt Jr. (1836–1916), and donated by his granddaughter, Margaret van D. Rice.
References: Samuel Darling, "Graduated Measuring Rule" (U.S. Patent 230,619 issued August 3, 1880); Kenneth L. Cope, intro., A Brown & Sharpe Catalogue Collection, 1868 to 1899 (Mendham, N.J.: The Astragal Press, 1997), 119, 160–161; Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Co., Machinery and Tools, no. 136 (Providence, R.I., 1916), 537–539; Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Co., Small Tools Catalog No. 31 (Providence, R.I., 1929), 97; Henry Dexter Sharpe, A Measure of Perfection: The History of Brown & Sharpe (North Kingston, R.I.: Brown & Sharpe, 1949), http://www.roseantiquetools.com/id44.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880–1892
maker
Darling, Brown & Sharpe
ID Number
1977.0460.06
accession number
1977.0460
catalog number
336077

Pedometer Signed by Jacob Ramminger

This pedometer consists of four discs in a wooden case that is carved with running foliage. The outermost disc is made of silvered metal, evenly divided into single units, and numbered by tens from zero to 100. A brass pointer is attached to the inner edge of this disc.
Description
This pedometer consists of four discs in a wooden case that is carved with running foliage. The outermost disc is made of silvered metal, evenly divided into single units, and numbered by tens from zero to 100. A brass pointer is attached to the inner edge of this disc. The second disc is brass. Along its outer edge, it is evenly divided into units of 250, and numbered by thousands from 1,000 to 12,000. The disc is marked: Numeri Milienarior[u]m Pasuvm Iac Ram D Scriba Inuentor (/) Numeri Miliariorum Germaniorum Cumunium. The inner edge of this disc is evenly divided into quarter-units and numbered by ones from 1 to 12. The third disc is silvered metal and marked with a floral pattern. A hand or pointer extends from the disc. The fourth disc is also patterned and has an ornate hand. A wing nut holds all of the discs together.
A metal plate screwed to the back of the instrument has two belt clips. The wearer would also tie the pedometer around his leg through a metal eye extending from the bottom of the instrument. The pedometer was then supposed to jiggle with each step, moving the counters one unit. The outer scale on the second disc thus counted the number of steps or paces taken, and the inner scale counted the number of German miles accumulating.
Jacob Ramminger, alias "the Scribe," made mathematical instruments in Stuttgart, in the southern German state of Baden-Württemberg, in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The only other instrument known to have survived from his workshop is a 1594 surveying compass owned by the British Museum. In 1601 his shop issued a collection of manuscript maps, Seehburch, darinnen alle Seeh und Weyher in dem löplichen Hertzogthumb Würtemberg, now owned by the Würtemberg Library (Cod.hist.fol.261) and viewable online at http://digital.wlb-stuttgart.de/purl/bsz337692629.
References: Jane Insley, "Pedometer," in Instruments of Science: An Historical Encyclopedia, ed. Robert Bud and Deborah Jean Warner (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998), 440–441; Adler Planetarium, Webster Signature Database, http://historydb.adlerplanetarium.org/signatures/; The British Museum, "Survey Instrument/Compass/Calendar/Calculator," reg. no. 1896,0808.01, http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database.aspx; E. Zinner, Deutsche und Niederländische astronomische instrumente des 11. Bis 18. Jahrhunderts, 2nd ed. (Munich, 1967), 478.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1600
maker
Ramminger, Jacob
ID Number
1979.0038.01
accession number
1979.0038
catalog number
1979.0038.01

Rule

This wooden rectangular rule consists of an inch scale marked from zero to 6 and divided by tenths, a scale marked from zero to 50 and divided into units (10 units is approximately 3 cm), and diagonal scales for tenths and eighths.
Description
This wooden rectangular rule consists of an inch scale marked from zero to 6 and divided by tenths, a scale marked from zero to 50 and divided into units (10 units is approximately 3 cm), and diagonal scales for tenths and eighths. On the reverse side of the rule, there are scales of equal parts dividing the inch into 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40. This side also contains a scale of chords. One edge of the rule is scalloped. There is no maker's mark, but the rule probably dates from the late 1800s or early 1900s.
The donor operated his family's building company, where he displayed his collection of 1200 hand tools.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1900
ID Number
1977.1101.018
catalog number
1977.1101.018
accession number
1977.1101

Felsenthal Graphical Firing Table

This two-sided wooden instrument has a white coating and a plastic indicator with wooden edges held together by six brass rivets. The rule was designed by Felsenthal Instrument Company of Chicago.
Description
This two-sided wooden instrument has a white coating and a plastic indicator with wooden edges held together by six brass rivets. The rule was designed by Felsenthal Instrument Company of Chicago. According to the accession file, this rule was made around 1960 at the Fort Sill Bookstore in Oklahoma. It is used to position a 155 mm howitzer armed with high-explosive M107 shells. One side is used for charges of 4, and the other side is used for charges of 5.
Both sides have scales for deflection correction or drift, the number of mils needed to move the explosion 100 meters, range, elevation, fuze setting, change in angle elevation needed to produce a change in range, and correction to fuze setting.
One side is marked: HOW 155mm (/) 155AH2H3M107 (/) CHARGE 4 (/) FSN 1220-937-8282. The other side is marked: HOW 155mm (/) 155AH2H3M107 (/) CHARGE 5 (/) FSN 1220-937-8282. Compare to 2005.2071.02 and to the graphical site tables, 1977.1141.26, and 1977.1141.27. Unlike this object, all three instruments have scales on slides.
References: U.S. Marine Corps, "Chapter 7: Firing Tables, Section II: Graphical Firing Tables," Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Field Artillery Manual Cannon Gunnery, Field Manual No. 6–40/MCWP 3–16.4 (Washington, D.C., 23 April 1996); Elizabeth R. Dickinson, "The Production of Firing Tables for Cannon Artillery," U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory, Report No. 1371 (Aberdeen (Md.) Proving Ground, November 1967), 59–65, 75–80; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1960
maker
Felsenthal Instrument Co.
ID Number
1977.1141.25
catalog number
336409
accession number
1977.1141

Darling & Bailey Drafting Rule

Four scales of inches are on this two-sided, 12-inch steel rule used for engineering drawing. On one side, nine inches of one scale are divided to 1/10", one inch is divided to 1/20", one inch is divided to 1/50", and one inch is divided to 1/100".
Description
Four scales of inches are on this two-sided, 12-inch steel rule used for engineering drawing. On one side, nine inches of one scale are divided to 1/10", one inch is divided to 1/20", one inch is divided to 1/50", and one inch is divided to 1/100". Ten inches of the other scale are divided to 1/16", one inch is divided to 1/32", and one inch is divided to 1/64". The ruler is marked: D. & B. (/) BANGOR Me. (/) U.S. Stnd. It is also engraved: W.A.L.
On the other side, ten inches of one scale are divided to 1/12", one inch is divided to 1/24", and one inch is divided to 1/48". Eleven inches of the other scale are divided to 1/14", and one inch is divided to 1/28". The ruler is engraved: W.A.L.
A farmer and sawmill owner turned toolmaker, Samuel Darling (1815–1896) apparently first made machine tools in 1846. He built a dividing engine and partnered with Edward H. Bailey in Bangor, Me., in 1852. The next year, Darling received his first patent and bought out Bailey, and by 1854 he was in partnership with Michael Schwartz of Bangor. That business lasted until Darling moved his craftsmen and equipment to Brown & Sharpe's Providence, R.I., workshop in 1866. Thus, this object was made between 1852 and 1853. For a drafting tool invented by Darling, see 1977.0460.01 and 1990.0317.02.
An unidentified relative of Erasmus Darwin Leavitt Jr. (1836–1916), the renowned American mechanical engineer and designer of steam engines, owned this rule. (None of Leavitt's children had names that began with "W," and his father's name was also Erasmus.)
References: Samuel Darling, "Apparatus for Grinding and Shaping Metals" (U.S. Patent 9,976 issued August 30, 1853); Davistown Museum, "Registry of Maine Toolmaker Listings," http://www.davistownmuseum.org/TDMtoolMakers.html; Henry Dexter Sharpe, A Measure of Perfection: The History of Brown & Sharpe (North Kingston, R.I.: Brown & Sharpe, 1949), http://www.roseantiquetools.com/id44.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1852–1853
maker
Darling, Samuel
ID Number
1977.0460.05
accession number
1977.0460
catalog number
336076

Plotting Scale Signed Gebr. Wichmann

On one side this silver-colored metal rule has a 16-cm plotting scale with diagonal scales at each end (graduated to 5 mm and to 1 mm). The plotting scale is divided to centimeters.
Description
On one side this silver-colored metal rule has a 16-cm plotting scale with diagonal scales at each end (graduated to 5 mm and to 1 mm). The plotting scale is divided to centimeters. It is numbered along one edge by hundreds from 0 to 300 (representing a scale drawing at a proportion of 1 cm to 2,000 meters) and along the other edge by twenties from 10 to 150 (representing a scale of 1:1,000). The right end is marked: GEBR. WICHMANN BERLIN.
The other side has another 16-cm plotting scale with diagonal scales at each end (graduated to 4 mm and to 2 mm). The plotting scale is divided to two centimeters. It is numbered along one edge by hundreds from 0 to 400 (representing a scale of 1:2,500) and along the other edge by hundreds from 0 to 800 (representing a scale of 1:5,000). A cardboard case is covered with black leather and lined with dark blue velvet. The case is marked: GEBR. WICHMANN BERLIN.
Gebr. Wichmann (Wichmann Brothers) was founded in Berlin in 1873 and continues to distribute office and technology products. Ernst Emil Herzfeld (1879–1948) is believed to have used this scale on archaeological expeditions and excavations in the Middle East between 1903 and 1936.
References: Gebr. Wichmann, "Wir über uns," http://www.wichmann.de/fip_Ueber_uns-30.html; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
maker
Gebr. Wichmann
ID Number
1980.0095.01
accession number
1980.0095
catalog number
1980.0095.01

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