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: Slide Rules

Nestler 23R Simplex Slide Rule

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

Keuffel & Esser 4070-3 Polyphase Duplex Trig Slide Rule

This ten-inch mahogany duplex slide rule is coated with white celluloid and held together with metal endpieces that are significantly corroded. On one side, the base has DF, D, and L scales, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide.
Description
This ten-inch mahogany duplex slide rule is coated with white celluloid and held together with metal endpieces that are significantly corroded. On one side, the base has DF, D, and L scales, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked in faded red: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.; PATS. 2,500,460 2,168,056 2,170,144 PAT. PEND.; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide is marked in red: © (/) K + E; < 4070-3 >. On the other side, the base has K, A, D, and DI scales, with B, T, ST, and S scales on the slide. The left end of the slide has a serial number: 952594. The top and bottom of the base are both marked at the left end: 594. The indicator is glass with plastic edges; it is so corroded that it has fallen apart and is no longer on the rule.
There is a green leather case with white inlays on the holder for the flap. The flap is marked: K + E. Inside the flap is written in ink: Jeffery (/) Smith (/) P 68. An orange chamois case holds a magnifier with two lenses and a metal frame. On one side, the frame is marked: K + E. On the other side, the frame is marked: PAT. NO. 2556806. A green cardboard box, missing one end, holds the rule, its case, the magnifier, and its case.
For information on the patents on the rule, see 1993.0482.01 and 2007.0181.01. Paul E. Gaire of Manasquan, N.J., received a patent for the magnifier in 1951, replacing his earlier attempt at a magnifier, which could only be used on one side of a slide rule at a time. This double magnifier was first advertised in Keuffel & Esser's 1954 catalog and first pictured in the 1962 catalog; it sold for $5.50. K&E sold this version of the model 4070-3 slide rule from 1952 to 1962, at a price of $20.50.
References: Paul E. Gaire, "Magnifying Runner for Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,556,806 issued June 12, 1951); K + E Catalog, 42nd ed. (New York: Keuffel & Esser Co., 1954), 276–277; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules, Catalog 8 (Hoboken, N.J., 1962), 29–30; Clark McCoy, ed., "K&E Catalogs and Price Lists for Slide Rules," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEmain.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1954-1962
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1990.0317.03
catalog number
1990.0317.03
accession number
1990.0317

Multi-Slide Slide Rule & Mathematical Tables

This yellow, red, black, and white slide rule has a cardboard front and back, held together with metal grommets along the top and bottom. A paper slide and a clear plastic cover fit inside the cardboard. Three red hairline indicators are on the plastic.
Description
This yellow, red, black, and white slide rule has a cardboard front and back, held together with metal grommets along the top and bottom. A paper slide and a clear plastic cover fit inside the cardboard. Three red hairline indicators are on the plastic. The front of the rule bears A, D, and K scales, with B, CI, and C scales on the front of the slide. The scales are 8-1/2 inches long. The front also has a vertical window for reading off four-place logarithms. There are tables for decimal equivalents and slide rule settings.
The back of the rule has A and D scales, with S, L, and T scales on the back of the slide. There are tables for trigonometric formulae and mathematical formulae, and a vertical window for reading off natural trigonometric functions.
The front of the rule is marked: SLIDE RULE & MATHEMATICAL TABLES (/) MIGHTY MITE (/) THERMAL CONTROLS; MECHANICAL INDUSTRIES (/) PRODUCTION COMPANY (/) 217 ASH ST. • AKRON 2, OHIO. The back of the rule is marked: Copyright 1945, Multi Slide Instrument Corp., Chicago, Ill.—Pat. Pending (/) Reproduction in whole or part will be prosecuted.
The rule is housed in an envelope that also contains a sheet of instructions and two samples of Mighty Mite Thermal Controls. The front of the envelope bears the same information about the distributor, Mighty Mite, which appears on the front of the rule. However, the address for Mechanical Industries is given as 217-233 Ash St. The front is also marked: Multi (/) SLIDE (/) RULE. The back of the envelope describes the company's single- and dual-action thermal controls.
The larger silver dual-action sample of a thermal control is marked: M.I.P.CO.AKRON.O. (/) PAT.PEND. The smaller copper single-action sample is marked on one side: M.I.P.CO. (/) AKRON O. (/) SUICOL. On the other side, it is marked: 40 H.P. (/) 15 V.A.C.
According to the magazines Popular Science and Professional Engineer, the Multi Slide Rule sold (without company logos) for $1.00. The company distributed its products from Chicago. Mighty Mite Controls began to manufacture bimetal thermostats for appliances in 1946. Thermtrol Corporation of North Canton, Ohio, purchased Mighty Mite in 1996. The patent mentioned on the slide rule may refer to Norman F. Dewar's 1946 application, which was assigned to the Graphic Calculator Company of Chicago (see 2000.3029.13). The patent for the thermal control is not known.
References: Advertisement, Multi-Slide Instrument Corp., Popular Science 147, no. 3 (October 1945): 294; Professional Engineer (1948): 64; Mechanical Industries Production Company, "Mighty Mite" (U.S. Trademark 71,617,720 issued March 24, 1953); Norman F. Dewar, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,530,047 issued November 14, 1950).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1945
maker
Multi-Slide Instrument Corp.
ID Number
1995.3051.01
nonaccession number
1995.3051
catalog number
1995.3051.01

Hemmi-Sun Mannheim Slide Rule

This small (4-inch) one-sided rule is bamboo with a metal backing, entirely covered with white celluloid. A magnifying glass indicator has a metal frame. There are A and D scales on the base. The slide has B and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other side.
Description
This small (4-inch) one-sided rule is bamboo with a metal backing, entirely covered with white celluloid. A magnifying glass indicator has a metal frame. There are A and D scales on the base. The slide has B and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The lower edge of the base has a scale of centimeters divided to millimeters. The upper edge of the base has a scale of inches divided to thirty-seconds of an inch.
The D scale is marked at each end: Quot (/) +1; Prod (/) -1. The back of the slide rule is marked: "SUN" (between two drawings of the sun); HEMMI; MADE IN JAPAN. A brown leather case is stamped in gold on the flap: BAMBOO (/) SLIDE RULE (/) "SUN" (between two drawings of the sun) (/) HEMMI. Written in pen inside the flap is: BOB YINGLING.
According to the donor, a colleague used this slide rule in a training program at the American Brass Company Division of Anaconda Mining Company in Waterbury, Conn., in the 1940s. He used it for such problems as calculating the weight of samples from their volume and density.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940
maker
SUN HEMMI JAPAN CF
ID Number
1995.0087.01
accession number
1995.0087
catalog number
1995.0087.01

Instructions for Sterling Metric Converter Slide Rule

This one-page, two-sided flyer was received with 1990.0689.01. At the top of the front, it is marked with the Sterling Plastics logo and the words: STERLING metric converter (/) BASED ON THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI).
Description
This one-page, two-sided flyer was received with 1990.0689.01. At the top of the front, it is marked with the Sterling Plastics logo and the words: STERLING metric converter (/) BASED ON THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI). The instructions explain how to read off the sixteen conversions between metric and English units that are found on the Metric Converter slide rule. Tables of metric prefixes and of common equivalents and conversions are also provided. At the bottom of the back, the flyer is marked: STERLING PLASTICS DIVISION OF BORDEN CHEMICAL, BORDEN INC. • SHEFFIELD ST., MOUNTAINSIDE, N.J. 07092 (/) PRINTED IN U.S.A. The Borden logo appears to the right of the mark.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1972
maker
Sterling Plastics
ID Number
1990.0689.03
accession number
1990.0689
catalog number
1990.0689.03

Kingson Pocket Calculator (Simplex Slide Rule and Adder)

This pocket-sized sheet metal instrument combines a one-sided linear slide rule, an adder, and a rule. The sliding bar adder on the front has six bars. The upper parts are for addition, the lower parts are for subtraction, and round windows in the middle show the result.
Description
This pocket-sized sheet metal instrument combines a one-sided linear slide rule, an adder, and a rule. The sliding bar adder on the front has six bars. The upper parts are for addition, the lower parts are for subtraction, and round windows in the middle show the result. A metal stylus in a holder on the right side moves the bars, and a zeroing bar is at the top. The top is marked: Kingson (/) POCKET (/) CALCULATOR. A table of decimal equivalents is below the bars.
The back of the instrument is a slide rule with A and D scales on the base; B, CI (labeled as C1), and C scales on the slide; and a clear plastic frameless indicator. The slide may be removed to reveal a scale of 5.5 inches, divided to 32nds of an inch, and a scale of 14 centimeters, divided to millimeters. The right end of the slide is marked: KINGSON (/) MADE IN (/) BRITISH HONG KONG. The instrument fits in a blue plastic case marked: KINGSON (/) 4-RULE (/) CALCULATOR (/) ADD (/) SUBTRACT (/) MULTIPLY (/) DIVIDE (/) MADE IN HONG KONG (/) REGD. IN G. BRITAIN.
Metal adders were available from at least the 1920s. Compare 1986.0543.01, 1988.0807.04, 1989.0325.01, and 1989.0709.02. In 1937 Carl Kübler, whose German firm made the famous Addiator adder, filed a U.S. patent application for attaching an adder to a metal slide rule. By the 1950s an unknown company in Japan made "personal calculators" (such as 1992.0548.01 and 1981.0922.07) and sometimes attached slide rules. The design of this instrument is very similar to these, even though it was made in Hong Kong. Kingson also made a financial calculator for British currency before decimalization in 1971. For instructions, see 1994.0208.02.
According to a short 1973 article in the British journal Mathematics in School, the Kingson Pocket Calculator was sold at that time and had been "marketed for a few years." In Brussels in 1985, the donor purchased the instrument used. The previous owner may have operated an office supply store.
References: Carl Kübler, "Means for Mounting an Adding and Subtracting Device on Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,153,089 issued April 4, 1939); "Kingson Pocket Calculator," The Centre for Computing History, http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/10923/Kingson-Pocket-Calculator/; D. J. Maxwell, "Apparatus Review," Mathematics in School 2, no. 2 (March 1973): 33.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970
maker
Kingson
ID Number
1994.0208.01
accession number
1994.0208
catalog number
1994.0208.01

Sexton's Omnimetre Circular Slide Rule

This paper circular rule consists of two paper discs, a celluloid indicator, and a metal screw that holds everything together.
Description
This paper circular rule consists of two paper discs, a celluloid indicator, and a metal screw that holds everything together. Going out from the center of the rotating discs, there are scales of versed sines [3 yellow circles labeled from 3 to 80 degrees—the versed sine of an angle x is (1 - sin x)], the fifth power of N (5 white circles labeled from 1 to 9.5), tangents (3 yellow circles labeled from 5 degrees through 84 degrees), N cubed (three white circles labeled from 1 through 9.5), sines (two circles labeled from 6 to 84 degrees), N squared (two circles labeled from 1 to 95), secants (one yellow circle labeled from 10 degrees to 84 degrees), and a logarithmic B scale running from 1 to 10. On the base disc is a logarithmic A scale, running from 1 to 10, and an equally divided scale for finding logarithms that runs from 0 to 10. THoles in the base make it easier to rotate the disc.
The base disc is marked around the edge: SEXTON'S OMNIMETRE; COPYRIGHT IN THE UNITED STATES 1896. ENTERED AT STATIONERS HALL LONDON FOR INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT 1896; NUMERI MUNDUM REGUNT; ENTERED ACCORDING TO ACT OF THE PARLIAMENT OF CANADA IN THE YEAR 1896 BY THADDEUS NORRIS, ENLARGED AND REVISED EDITION. The smaller disc is marked near the center: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (/) PATENT 1895 U.S. CANADA & EUROPE. The back of the instrument is engraved: THEO. ALTENEDER & SONS (/) PHILADELPHIA. DANKERS is handwritten near the center of the back.
Albert Sexton was a resident of Philadelphia who, according to his own account, read a lecture delivered by Colman Sellers at the Franklin Institute on 20 May 1891. Although the subject of the lecture was the utilization of the power of Niagara Falls, Sellers also mentioned the advantages of the slide rule. Intrigued by these comments, Sexton began to acquire slide rules. He concluded that a less expensive, more complete instrument was needed, and he designed one. When he provided samples to gentlemen visiting a local steam engine manufacturer, Southwark Foundry and Machine Company, he found they were most interested. Arthur Marichal, a Belgian civil engineer, wrote on his sample “Sexton’s Omnimetre” and added the Latin phrase “Numeri Mundum Regunt.” Sexton adopted both the name and the motto.
With the assistance of Philadelphia resident Thaddeus Norris, Sexton introduced several versions of his instrument, including the most complete form, which is represented by this object. Sexton (and Norris posthumously) received the John Scott Medal of the Franklin Institute on 4 January 1899. The instrument was manufactured by the Philadelphia firm of Theodore Alteneder & Sons. The different forms sold for $1.00 to $3.00 around 1900, and this version sold for $4.00 by 1940.
The donor acquired this example in 1938, when he joined the U.S. Navy’s Preliminary Ship Design Branch. He used it in the design of ships from PT boats to aircraft carriers, until his retirement in 1968.
References: Peggy A. Kidwell, "Computing Devices, Mathematics Education and Mathematics: Sexton's Omnimetre in Its Time," Historia Mathematica 36 (2009): 395–404; Thaddeus Norris, "Marker for Slide-Rules" (U.S. Patent 540,184 issued May 28, 1895).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1938
maker
Theodore Alteneder and Sons
ID Number
2008.3041.01
nonaccession number
2008.3041
catalog number
2008.3041.01

System Wern ABC Circular Slide Rule

This plastic circular slide rule has a square white base with a transparent disc and pointer pivoted atop it. The outermost scale runs from 5 degrees to 90 degrees (going counterclockwise). Inside this, still on the base, is a scale from 0 degrees to 85 degrees.
Description
This plastic circular slide rule has a square white base with a transparent disc and pointer pivoted atop it. The outermost scale runs from 5 degrees to 90 degrees (going counterclockwise). Inside this, still on the base, is a scale from 0 degrees to 85 degrees. Immediately inside this is a scale for converting from degrees to radians. Other scales are for multiplication, division (showing decimal points in results), conversion of metric and standard units, squares, cubes (and square roots and cube roots), logarithms, sines, tangents (and arc sines and arc tangents), and percentages. A scale of equal parts 20 centimeters long, divided to millimeters, runs across the top of the base.
The device fits in a square black plastic envelope. Thie envelope also contains two sets of instructions on paper.
The slide rule is on the design of the American-born Swedish engineer Carl Wern and his younger brothers George and Lars Wern, also Swedes. They licensed rights to manufacture their slide rule to IWA Rechenschieberfabrik in Germany.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1966
maker
IWA Rechenschieberfabrik
ID Number
2016.0133.01
accession number
2016.0133
catalog number
2016.0133.01

Pickett N15-T Hydraulic Duplex Slide Rule for Georgia Iron Works

From the 1650s people have devised special-purpose slide rules for tasks such as carpentry and tax collection. In 1961 Danforth (Danny) W.
Description
From the 1650s people have devised special-purpose slide rules for tasks such as carpentry and tax collection. In 1961 Danforth (Danny) W. Hagler of the Georgia Iron Works Company in Augusta, Ga., designed this slide rule to replace the 100-page notebook of graphs carried by each GIW engineer. GIW also distributed the rule to customers to assist with ordering and operating pumps and pipelines. Pickett & Eckel, the California slide rule manufacturer, assisted with the design and produced the slide rules. For Pickett company history, see 1998.0119.02 and 2000.0203.01.
This ten-inch, two-sided white aluminum instrument has metal endpieces and a nylon cursor with white plastic edges. The front has logarithmic scales for calculating the kinetic energy and flow rate of a liquid or slurry moving through a pipeline. The top of the base is marked: HYDRAULIC SLIDE RULE (/) GEORGIA IRON WORKS CO. (/) EST. 1891 (/) AUGUSTA GEORGIA. The left end of the slide has a GIW logo. The right end of the slide has the triangular Pickett logo used between 1958 and 1962 and is marked: 338. The bottom of the base is marked: DESIGNED BY D. W. HAGLER.
The back has logarithmic scales for determining the head produced by a pump, impeller peripheral speed, brake horsepower, and specific speed. Standard C and D scales were added around 1969. The right end of the slide is marked: PICKETT (/) MODEL N 15-T (/) 337. The rule fits in an orange leather case with a belt loop. The front of the case is marked: HYDRAULIC SLIDE RULE (/) GIW (/) D. W. HAGLER (/) Pickett. The case fits inside a redwood box.
This particular rule was Hagler's personal example of the instrument in production. GIW was his family's business, and his brother, Tom, wrote an instruction manual for the rule (2009.0100.02). Hagler went on to work on computer software for production control. He sold his interest in GIW in 1986.
References: Helen Callahan, Georgia Iron Works: The First 100 Years (Columbia, S.C.: The R. L. Bryan Company, [1991]), 46–49; Michael V. Konshak, "Developing the Georgia Iron Works Hydraulic Slide Rule: Negotiating with Pickett & Eckel to Make a Special Slide Rule," Journal of the Oughtred Society 19, no. 2 (2010): 33–37; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1961
date received
2009
maker
Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated
ID Number
2009.0100.01
accession number
2009.0100
catalog number
2009.0100.01

IBM Machine Load Computer Slide Rule

This plastic rectangular instrument calculated the time required for different types of IBM punched card equipment to process given numbers of cards. The black side is for accounting machines, sorters, and collators.
Description
This plastic rectangular instrument calculated the time required for different types of IBM punched card equipment to process given numbers of cards. The black side is for accounting machines, sorters, and collators. The white side is for card punches, verifiers, and auxiliary machines. These machines were in use from roughly 1953 through 1959. The white side is marked: IBM; International Business Machines Corp. (/) 590 Madison Ave. New York 22, N.Y. (/) Patent Applied For. It is also marked THINK and MADE IN U.S.A. An instruction card is provided. A tan envelope is marked: IBM (/) MACHINE LOAD COMPUTER (/) AND DESCRIPTIVE FOLDER (/) Form 20-8704-1. No patent record was located.
Benjamin S. Mulitz, the donor, worked with punched card equipment and then with computers from 1940 until 1985. He used both Remington Rand and IBM products. He was employed by the U.S. government and then in the wholesale drug industry.
Reference: accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1953-1959
maker
International Business Machines Corporation
ID Number
2006.0174.02
accession number
2006.0174
catalog number
2006.0174.02

Keuffel & Esser 4098A Mannheim Simplex Slide Rule

This five-inch white Xylonite (celluloid) linear slide rule has A and D scales on the base, with B and C scales on one side of the slide and S and T scales on the other side of the slide. All scales are divided logarithmically. The slide is not reversible.
Description
This five-inch white Xylonite (celluloid) linear slide rule has A and D scales on the base, with B and C scales on one side of the slide and S and T scales on the other side of the slide. All scales are divided logarithmically. The slide is not reversible. The top of the base is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide is marked: < 4098A >. The indicator is frameless plastic with plastic edges and metal screws.
The back of the slide rule has a scale of 5 inches divided to sixteenths of an inch and a scale of 13 centimeters divided to millimeters. The left end of the back of the rule is marked with a serial number: 79883. The back is also marked in gold: RCA MANUFACTURING CO. INC. The RCA logo (letters inside a circle) is to the right of this mark. The rule fits in a leather sheath marked: K & E CO. There is also black tape marked with the previous owner's name: L. MARTON.
Keuffel & Esser of New York sold model 4098A from 1936 to 1952. With the case, it cost $2.05 in 1936, $3.50 in 1947, and $4.50 in 1952. Compare to MA.322761, 1987.0634.01, and MA.308201.
Ladislaus L. (Bill) Marton (1901–1979) was born in Hungary, received his Ph.D. from the University of Zurich, and worked in Belgium from 1929 to 1938, where he and his wife, Claire, built one of the first electron microscopes. In 1938, he came to the United States, taking positions at the RCA Research Laboratories in Camden, N.J., and at the University of Pennsylvania. He presumably acquired the slide rule during this period; its serial number is consistent with a manufacturing date in the early 1940s. In 1946, he joined the National Bureau of Standards. After he retired in 1970, he was an honorary research associate in the Smithsonian's Electricity collections and left the slide rule in his desk.
References: Clark McCoy, "4098A Pocket Slide Rule," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4098Afamily.htm; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 38th ed. (New York, 1936), 324, 330; K&E Slide Rules and Calculating Instruments Price List (New York, 1947), 1; K&E Price List Applying to the 41st Edition Catalog (New York, 1951), 35; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1938-1946
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
2012.0023.01
accession number
2012.0023
catalog number
2012.0023.01

Ricoh Duplex Slide Rule Sold by Staedtler-Mars (944-24)

Numerous slide rule manufacturers also sold rules made by other companies.
Description
Numerous slide rule manufacturers also sold rules made by other companies. For instance, the German pencil-manufacturer Staedtler, which used the trade name Mars for slide rules, marketed this ten-inch bamboo rule coated with white plastic and held together with metal L-shaped endpieces. Staedtler's own rules had distinctive light blue slides, but this rule is entirely white. It was made as model 151 between about 1960 and 1972 by the Japanese firm known as San-Ai Measuring Instruments and then as Ricoh Measuring Instruments. Several companies besides Staedtler sold these rules, including Lutz.
On one side, the base has LL/1, LL/2, LL/3, DF, D, LL3, LL2, and LL1 scales, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The right end of each scale identifies the meaning of the letters, i.e., the C and D scales are marked with an x. The right end of the slide has the company logo of a Greek soldier's head and is marked: STAEDTLER (/) MARS (/) 944 24. On the other side, the base has LL/0, L, K, A, D, DI, P, and LL0 scales, with B, S, ST, T, and C scales on the slide. The indicator is clear plastic with white plastic edges. The bottom edge of the rule is marked: JAPAN.
The rule fits in a brown leather case with a loop for attaching to a belt. The flap is marked: STAEDTLER (/) MARS. The back bottom of the case is marked: JAPAN. A blue and white cardboard box is marked on the end: STAEDTLER MARS (/) 1 BAMBOO SLIDE RULE 944 24 (/) Duplex Log Log 10". See 2009.0019.02.01 for instructions. Compare to 1986.0790.04.
The mathematician and theoretical computer scientist Harley Flanders received this instrument as a gift, but he never used it.
References: "A Modern Brand Rich in Tradition," Staedtler, http://www.staedtler.com/brand_with_tradition_gb.Staedtler?ActiveID=3049; David A. Davis, "Relay/Ricoh Archive," http://www.oocities.org/usra482b/page3.html; Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 213.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1960-1972
maker
Ricoh Measuring Instruments
ID Number
2009.0019.02
accession number
2009.0019
catalog number
2009.0019.02

Documentation Relating to GIW Hydraulic Slide Rule

In the mid-twentieth century, engineers designing slide rules often carried out extensive calculations by hand.
Description
In the mid-twentieth century, engineers designing slide rules often carried out extensive calculations by hand. The documentation for the Georgia Iron Works hydraulic slide rule (2009.0100.01) includes numerous pages of such calculations, as well as four blueprints showing the design of the rule. Correspondence between Danforth W. Hagler, who designed the slide rule, and officials of Pickett & Eckel Company, the manufacturer, is also included. The letters and drawings are dated 1961.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1961
maker
Georgia Iron Works Co.
ID Number
2009.0100.04
accession number
2009.0100
catalog number
2009.0100.04

Guedon Pocket Simplex Slide Rule

This one-sided, five-inch steel linear slide rule is painted white. The scales are not lettered, but on the base they are equivalent to A and D scales and on the slide they are the equivalent of B, CI, and C scales. The bottom of the base is marked: GUEDON. CAMDEN. NEW JERSEY.
Description
This one-sided, five-inch steel linear slide rule is painted white. The scales are not lettered, but on the base they are equivalent to A and D scales and on the slide they are the equivalent of B, CI, and C scales. The bottom of the base is marked: GUEDON. CAMDEN. NEW JERSEY. It is also marked: PATENT PENDING and MADE IN U. S. A.
The base has grooves along the top and bottom of both the front and the back. The front grooves hold a celluloid indicator with concave curves on both sides. The back grooves hold a piece almost as wide as the base that serves as a support for the slide. The slide is a narrower metal piece, hooked to the support at both ends. The front of the support has a table for converting fractions to decimals; on the back are scales of 12.5 cm, divided to millimeters, and of 5 inches, divided to 32nds of an inch. The rule fits in a cardboard sleeve coated with brown synthetic leather.
According to a letter in the Keuffel & Esser collection at the MIT Museum, the Guedon company was making rules of this type in 1943 and selling them wholesale for 50 cents.
Reference: International Slide Rule Museum, "Miscellaneous USA," http://sliderulemuseum.com/MiscUSA.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940s
maker
Guedon
ID Number
2009.3008.03
nonaccession number
2009.3008
catalog number
2009.3008.03

Dietzgen 1734 Decimal Trig Log Log Duplex Slide Rule

Relatively late in its history of making and selling slide rules, the Eugene Dietzgen Co. of Chicago began developing products that competed with the high-end slide rule lines manufactured by Keuffel & Esser (namely, model 4081) and Post (the Versalog).
Description
Relatively late in its history of making and selling slide rules, the Eugene Dietzgen Co. of Chicago began developing products that competed with the high-end slide rule lines manufactured by Keuffel & Esser (namely, model 4081) and Post (the Versalog). This two-sided, ten-inch wooden slide rule is coated with white plastic and has metal endpieces. On one side the base has LL02, LL03, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales, with CF, CIF, L, CI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked: DIETZGEN MICROGLIDE TM DECIMAL TRIG TYPE LOG LOG CAT. NO. 1734.
On the other side, the base has LL01, K, A, D, DI, and LL1 scales, with B, T < 45°, T > 45°, ST, and S scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked: EUGENE DIETZGEN CO. PATS. 2,170,144 2,285,722 PAT'S PEND. MADE IN U.S.A. 020038. On both sides the right end of the rule has formulas indicating the functions represented by the scales. The glass indicator has a metal and black plastic frame; both edges are marked: DIETZGEN.
The rule fits in a black leather case with a metal clasp. A Dietzgen logo is on the flap—the letter D inside the letter E inside the letters Co. In 1959 Dietzgen introduced the Microglide line of slide rules, which featured Teflon-lined grooves on the base so that the slide moved more smoothly. According to Ian Lodge's estimated production figures, the serial number suggests a manufacture date for this object of 1962.
Dietzgen ceased the production of slide rules around 1972. The arrangement of scales corresponds to those depicted in a 1960 instruction manual for the "Dietzgen Decimal Trig Type Log Log Slide Rule," although the "Microglide" trademark is not mentioned. See 1986.0790.01 for information on the patents mentioned on the instrument. The indicator is Dietzgen's "framed full vision" type and is covered by U.S. Patent 2,634,912, issued to Clarence P. Davey on April 14, 1953.
The donor, Ed Severino, began his career as an engineer with General Electric Company in Schenectady, N.Y. After eight years, he left to teach mathematics and science at Mont [sic] Pleasant High School in Schenectady, where he became head of the Technical Department. The slide rule is of the type trainees used in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when Severino was director of his high school's General Electric Apprentice Training Educational Program.
References: Rodger Shepherd, "Some Distinctive Features of Dietzgen Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996): 42–45; Robert K. Otnes, "Dietzgen Patents, Runners, and Log-Log Scales," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996): 45–48; Ian Lodge, "Estimating Production Dates for Dietzgen Micromatic and Microglide Log Log Duplex Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 21, no. 1 (2012): 26–32; Bruce Babcock, "Dietzgen Catalog Matrix," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/Dietzgen_CatalogMatrix_BruceBabcock1996_chart.jpg; Ovid W. Eshbach and H. Loren Thompson, Self-teaching Instruction Manual: Dietzgen Decimal Trig Type Log Log Slide Rule (Chicago: Eugene Dietzgen Co., 1960), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/Dietzgen_1734_Manual.pdf; "Your Dietzgen Microglide Slide Rule: Instructions for Care and Adjustment" (Chicago, n.d.), http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Library_Dietzgen.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1962
maker
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
2006.0230.01
accession number
2006.0230
catalog number
2006.0230.01

Instruction Manual for Georgia Iron Works Hydraulic Slide Rule

The citation information for this 20-page stapled booklet is: T. W. Hagler, Jr., GIW Hydraulic Slide Rule Instructions [and] Formulas, rev. ed. (Georgia Iron Works Co., 1969).
Description
The citation information for this 20-page stapled booklet is: T. W. Hagler, Jr., GIW Hydraulic Slide Rule Instructions [and] Formulas, rev. ed. (Georgia Iron Works Co., 1969). Tom Hagler wrote this explanation of the slide rule designed by his brother, Danny, for the pump manufacturing firm owned by their family in Grovetown, Ga. The rule made it easier for the company's engineers to make calculations related to the flow of slurry in pipelines and pumps. See 2009.0100.01. The rule illustrated in this booklet, which has C and D scales, is a later version of the instrument than the example in the collections. The booklet also contains instructions for caring for the rule that presumably came from its maker, Pickett Industries (formerly Pickett & Eckel) of Santa Barbara, Calif.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1969
date received
2009
maker
Georgia Iron Works Co.
ID Number
2009.0100.02
catalog number
2009.0100.02
accession number
2009.0100

Richardson Direct Reading Slide Rule

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several American inventors strove to produce inexpensive slide rules. One of them was George Washington Richardson (about 1866–1940), who was born in the United States of British parents. He served as a chief electrician in the U.S.
Description
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several American inventors strove to produce inexpensive slide rules. One of them was George Washington Richardson (about 1866–1940), who was born in the United States of British parents. He served as a chief electrician in the U.S. Navy. Census records indicate that by 1910, he was living in Chicago with his wife, young son, and wife's parents and working as an engineer in a Chicago public school. Seeking to better himself, Richardson enrolled in an International Correspondence Schools (I.C.S.) course in electrical engineering in 1901, receiving his diploma in 1904. He copyrighted his first slide rule in 1903, began selling it in 1907, and advertised it in Popular Mechanics by 1909. Working with mechanical engineer John Jesse Clark, the dean of the faculty at I.C.S., he developed a range of slide rules and took out patents in 1911, 1912, and 1918. By 1920, Richardson sold his business to the Gilson Slide Rule Company, purchased an expensive automobile, and retired. He remained in Chicago until his death.
This roughly made 11-inch simplex slide rule has an aluminum frame that holds two pieces of a white celluloid base and a white celluloid slide. The top of the base has an A scale, the bottom has a D scale, and the slide has B and C scales. The A and B scales are logarithmically divided from 1 to 100, and the C and D scales are logarithmically divided from 1 to 10. Various letters are revealed in keyholes in the upper left and lower right corners of the base. These letters correspond to a conversions of units table on paper glued to the back of the rule. An aluminum indicator has a plastic window and is marked: PAT.PEND.
The top of the base is marked: GEO. W. RICHARDSON'S DIRECT READING SLIDE RULE. The bottom of the base is marked: ADDRESS : 4212, 24TH PLACE, CHICAGO, ILL. The back has instructions and is marked: Copyright 1903 By George W. Richardson. The slide rule sold with an instruction booklet for $1.50 in 1909, and with a modified indicator for $2.00 in 1910.
References: Mike Konchak, "Geo. W. Richardson Rule Works," http://sliderulemuseum.com/Richardson.htm; Bruce E. Babcock, "George Washington Richardson's Direct Reading Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 1, no. 1 (1992): 9–13; George W. Richardson, "New Slide Rule," Popular Mechanics 12 (October 1909): advertising section, 122; "Slide Rule for Mathematical Calculations," Popular Electricity and the World's Advance 2, no. 11 (March 1910): 774; George W. Richardson, "A Direct Reading [Slide] Rule," Modern Machinery 24, no. 12 (April 1910): 330–331; "Direct Readings from a Slide Rule," Practical Engineer 14, no. 8 (August 1910): 502; "Circles and Squares: Use of the Double Scale for Boiler Problems" Practical Engineer 14, no. 11 (November 1910): 701; George W. Richardson, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 982,876 issued January 31, 1911), "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 1,021,484 issued March 26, 1912), and "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 1,260,454 issued March 26, 1918). On Richardson and Gilson, see also MA.316707.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1909
maker
George W. Richardson
ID Number
2009.0038.02
accession number
2009.0038
catalog number
2009.0038.02

Dietzgen 1746 Maniphase Multiplex Slide Rule with Tables, Instructions, Case, and Box

This 10" duplex wooden slide rule is coated with white plastic and has a glass indicator with a metal frame. One side of the frame has DF, D, and L scales. The other has A, D, and K scales. One side of the slide has CF, C1F, C1 and C scales. The other has B, T, ST, and S scales.
Description
This 10" duplex wooden slide rule is coated with white plastic and has a glass indicator with a metal frame. One side of the frame has DF, D, and L scales. The other has A, D, and K scales. One side of the slide has CF, C1F, C1 and C scales. The other has B, T, ST, and S scales. The instrument fits in a leather-covered case with a leather flap at one end. This, in turn, fits in a yellow box that also holds a set of conversion tables copyrighted in 1950 and a pamphlet with instructions for care and adjustment copyrighted in 1952. An instruction manual copyrighted in 1954 and a warranty also came in the box.
The model 1746 is not listed on a 1943 Dietzgen Price List. It is listed in Dietzgen Catalog 22D (1948) and in the 1953-54 Dietzgen School Catalog.
This example of the slide rule was owned by M. Gordon and Marion Tiger. Mr. Tiger worked for the U. S. Department of State in the 1950s and 1960s.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1955
maker
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
2017.0087.01
catalog number
2017.0087.01
accession number
2017.0087

Charvoz-Roos SR-105D Simplex Slide Rule

This one-sided wooden rule is faced with white celluloid and has a plastic indicator and metal endpieces. The base has A, D, and K scales; B, CI, and C scales are on the front of the slide, and S, L, and T scales are on the back of the slide.
Description
This one-sided wooden rule is faced with white celluloid and has a plastic indicator and metal endpieces. The base has A, D, and K scales; B, CI, and C scales are on the front of the slide, and S, L, and T scales are on the back of the slide. The back of the slide is visible on the back of the rule, but the back of the base has tables of equivalents instead of scales. So, the slide must be removed from the rule, turned over, and reinserted to use the S, L, and T scales with the A, D, and K scales. (There is, though, a hairline on the back of one endpiece for using the S, L, and T scales by themselves.) The tables of equivalents indicate how the slide should be set on the front to convert various units, such as centimeters to meters. The instrument fits in a brown synthetic leather case. The front of the base is marked: SR-105D CHARVOZ-ROOS MADE IN U.S.A. The back of the base is marked: ACU (/) DESIGN (/) PAT. PENDING.
Andre Charvoz (1892–1969) and his partners began to sell rebranded slide rules as well as slide rules assembled from parts in East Rutherford, N.J., around 1939. The company was called the Charvoz-Roos Corporation from 1946 until 1953, when it went bankrupt. The scales on the celluloid layers were apparently provided by the Acu-Rule Mfg. Co. of St. Louis, Mo., which either used Acu-Design as a brand name or as a separate business that supplied scales to other manufacturers. Acu-Rule's president, Wilfred Boos, applied for a patent on this rule in 1949 and received it in 1952.
References:
"Time Line for Charvoz-Roos Slide Rules," International Slide Rule Museum, http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm#
Charvoz; Wilfred J. Boos, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,594,897 issued April 29, 1952).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1949-1953
maker
Charvoz-Roos
ID Number
2009.3008.01
nonaccession number
2009.3008
catalog number
2009.3008.01

Graphical Firing Table M17 Slide Rule

This one-sided rule is made of two types of wood and painted white on top. The top edge is beveled and has a scale for 1:20,000 yards. The top of the base has scales for 100-yard shift, 33 1/3 yards, and range, with D and K scales at the bottom.
Description
This one-sided rule is made of two types of wood and painted white on top. The top edge is beveled and has a scale for 1:20,000 yards. The top of the base has scales for 100-yard shift, 33 1/3 yards, and range, with D and K scales at the bottom. The D scale is a standard logarithmic scale for multiplication, but the K scale is not a logarithmic scale for cubes. The bottom of the base is marked: GRAPHICAL FIRING TABLE. The top right corner is marked: B180971. The bottom right corner is marked: B180972. The clear plastic indicator has white plastic edges. A black wheel is inside the bottom edge of the rule.
Originally the instrument would have had three slides, including one with a standard logarithmic C scale, but this example has only one slide. The slide was used to position an 8-inch M1-type howitzer armed with high explosive M106 shells, M51 and M67 fuses, and charges of 5, 6, or 7. The howitzer was a U.S. Army cannon introduced around 1942 and used into the 1950s. One side of the slide is for setting the cannon at a high angle and has scales labeled ELEV., 10 M Si (change in elevation), DRIFT, and TF (time of flight). The other side is for setting the cannon to fire at long range and has scales labeled ELEV., c, DRIFT, and FS (fuse setting). The left end is marked: LONG RANGE (/) FT 8-J-1. This mark indicates the corresponding firing table. The right end is marked: GFT M17 (/) C81758.
The back has tables for accounting for the influence of changes in temperature and wind direction. A third table provides range limits for charges from 1 to 7. The right end is marked: TABLE, GRAPHICAL FIRING, (/) M17 (/) STOCK NO. 6574317 (/) 81873. A dark brown leather case has a belt loop and a strap for tying it to the leg. Two additional vertical pockets inside the case held the additional two slides. The flap is marked: CASE, CARRYING (/) M23 (/) D4130. Clark McCoy attributed the rule to Keuffel & Esser, a prominent New York slide rule manufacturer. For another graphical firing table, see 1977.1141.25. One use for the ENIAC and other early electronic digital computers was to compute artillery firing tables.
This example of the firing table was owned by Willard H. Eller (1892-1974), who chaired the physics department at the University of Hawaii from 1931 until 1957.
References: Dr. Ing. Federico Ramirez Santa-Pau, "The Artillery Graphical Firing Table: A Description of a Specialized Slide Rule," Journal of the Oughtred Society 9, no. 2 (2000): 17–20; Clark McCoy, "Graphical Firing Table Slide Rule," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KECollection/GraphicalFiring/K&E_GF_1.htm.
Robert M. Kamins and Robert E. Potter, Malamalama: A History of the University of Hawaii, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1998.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1945
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
2015.0024.08
accession number
2015.0024
catalog number
2015.0024.08

Novotni Weight Slide Rule

This black Bakelite instrument is held together with metal screws. It calculates the weight of metal required by a blacksmith, foundry worker, shopkeeper, or similar worker, given the dimensions and shape of a metal part to be produced.
Description
This black Bakelite instrument is held together with metal screws. It calculates the weight of metal required by a blacksmith, foundry worker, shopkeeper, or similar worker, given the dimensions and shape of a metal part to be produced. The top of the base has a logarithmic scale that gives the thickness of the part in inches. There are two slides. The upper slide has a logarithmic scale of widths (in inches) along its upper edge and a logarithmic scale of lengths (in inches or feet) along its lower edge.
The upper edge of the lower slide has two scales for possible metals, one for lengths measured in inches, one for lengths in feet. The metals are copper, brass, steel, cast iron, lead, aluminum, and water. The lower edge indicates the shape of the piece. The bottom of the base has a logarithmic scale that gives the weight in pounds.
The center top of the base is marked: WEIGHT SLIDE RULE. The bottom left corner is marked: Novotni (/) Slide Rule (/) Media, Pa. The bottom right corner is marked: Patented (/) Others Pending.
John L. Novotni (1893–1966), a blacksmith of Czech descent, is listed in the 1920 census as working in a foundry in Delaware County, Penn. In the 1910s, he worked at an automobile and wagon repair shop in Oaklyn, N.J., with Andrew W. Kelly and John Hornyak, who received a patent for this design in 1917 and sold it as the Kelkay Weight Slide Rule by 1920. By 1922 Kelly and Hornyak and Novotni were selling other celluloid rules, such as the Paper Box Board Rule. By 1929 Novotni was selling slide rules under the name of the Novotni Slide Rule Company and was having the rules made of Bakelite. In 1937, he moved to Media, Pa. According to Novotni's daughter, Evelyn Novotni Bond, steel companies continued to purchase the Weight Slide Rule until 1992.
References: Andrew W. Kelly and John Hornyak, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 1,210,488 issued January 2, 1917); "The Kelkay Weight Slide Rule," American Blacksmith 19, no. 11 (August 1920): 290; Directions for the use of the Novotni Weight Slide Rule (Media, Pa., about 1920), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/M75_Novotni_Weight_Slide_Rule.pdf; "Firm Tailors Slide Rules to Specific Tasks," Steel 155 (1964); accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1937-ca 1959
maker
Novotni Slide Rule
ID Number
2009.0038.01
accession number
2009.0038
catalog number
2009.0038.01

Cogar Thermotechn. 2512 Linear Slide Rule

This one-sided linear slide rule has a wooden core coated with plastic, a plastic cursor, and a paper label stuck to the back. The scales are 25 cm. long (extended somewhat to both the left and the right). They are not lettered.
Description
This one-sided linear slide rule has a wooden core coated with plastic, a plastic cursor, and a paper label stuck to the back. The scales are 25 cm. long (extended somewhat to both the left and the right). They are not lettered. The beveled top edge of the rule has a scale of equal parts 27 centimeters long divided to .1 cm. for the first 20 centimeters and to .05 centimeters from 20 to 27. Below this, still along the beveled edge, is a scale of inches, divided to .02 inches.
The first logarithmic scale runs from 1 to 100 in 25 cm. and from .7 to 120 over its full length. The lower part of the base has a scale running from 1 to 10 over 25 centimeters and from .9 to 11 overall. It is used for finding squares and square roots. Below this is a scale for finding square roots of the difference between 1 and the square of x. It runs down from .995 to 0.The slide has a scales that runs from .7 to 120, a scale that runs from 12 down to .9, and a scale that runs from .9 to 11. The reverse side of the runner has scales that run from 1.01 to 1.2, from 1.1 to 3.2, and from 2.5 to 10. The back of the rule suggests how it is used and lists various constants.
The rule fits in a black cardboard box.
According to the donor, this rule was made by prisoners in a Hungarian prison.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2014.0136.03
catalog number
2014.0136.03
accession number
2014.0136

Keuffel & Esser Log Log Duplex Decitrig Slide Rule Documentation

This green softcover instruction manual, advertising pamphlet for various pocket-sized Keuffel & Esser slide rules, and leaflet on "How to Take Care of Your Slide Rule" were received with 2007.0181.01. The citation information for the manual is: Lyman M. Kells, Willis F.
Description
This green softcover instruction manual, advertising pamphlet for various pocket-sized Keuffel & Esser slide rules, and leaflet on "How to Take Care of Your Slide Rule" were received with 2007.0181.01. The citation information for the manual is: Lyman M. Kells, Willis F. Kern, and James R. Bland, Slide Rule Manual: Log Log Duplex Decitrig, 4th ed. (New York: Keuffel & Esser Co., 1955). Kells, Kern, and Bland were all mathematics professors at the U.S. Naval Academy. The cover indicates that the manual is model "No. 68 2047 (/) OLD NO. 4187S," suggesting it was printed after 1962, when K&E changed all of its model numbers. The 125-page manual is designed for self-study and covers multiplication and division; proportion; squares, cubes, and roots; trigonometry; the log log scales; and logarithms and the slide rule. Answers to the exercises are in the back of the manual. See also 1987.0085.02.
The pamphlet is marked with the motto: calculate wherever you circulate. It measures 2-1/4 X 8-1/4 inches and was copyrighted in 1960, 1962, and 1964. Information is provided for five-inch versions of K&E's Deci-Lon, Jet-log Jr., Polyphase Duplex Decitrig, Modern Polyphase, Polyphase, and Merchants slide rules. The leaflet is small (4 X 3 inches) and was copyrighted in 1944, 1949, 1958, and 1962. Users are to clean the slide rule only with a moistened cloth. Instructions are provided for adjusting and aligning the slide rule.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1964
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
2007.0181.01.01
accession number
2007.0181
catalog number
2007.0181.01.01

Concise 600 Science Tables and Circular Slide Rule

This white plastic circular slide rule is on a rectangular base that has a 4-inch ruler on the left side and a 10-cm ruler on the right. A black plastic tape attached along the top edge reads: MATLACK.
Description
This white plastic circular slide rule is on a rectangular base that has a 4-inch ruler on the left side and a 10-cm ruler on the right. A black plastic tape attached along the top edge reads: MATLACK. The top of the base is marked: CONCISE (/) SCIENCE TABLES (/) AND CIRCULAR SLIDE RULE. The slide rule has a D scale along the outer rim. A rotating disc fastened with a metal grommet has C, CI, L, A, S, T, and K scales. There is a clear plastic rotating indicator, which is labeled in red with the letters for the scales. The bottom of the base is marked: BY SAMA & ETANI.
The back of the instrument has a chart for converting temperatures from Celsius to Fahrenheit and a periodic table of the chemical elements. The bottom right corner of the back is marked: © 1968 CONCISE INTERNATIONAL CO. LTD. The left edge is marked: DESIGNED BY SAMA & ETANI, INC., GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS 01450, U.S.A. (/) MADE IN JAPAN BY CONCISE MODEL 600.
A rectangular plastic card fits inside a slot in the base. The card provides various conversion tables for energy, power, the Greek alphabet, velocity, volume, mass, force, length, and area. This side of the card is printed so that the card can be pushed out halfway from either side of the base, and the printed tables will appear right-side-up. The back of the card has tables for gas constant values and pressure, along with lists of mathematical formulas and chemical and physical data. One edge of the card is marked: ©1968 CONCISE INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD. INSERT - ST.
The instrument fits in a rectangular black plastic case. There is no instruction manual, but the instrument likely was originally accompanied by a copy of: Sama & Etani, Reference Tables and Circular Slide Rule (Groton, Mass., 1969), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/M219_refC36_Concise_SamaEtani_ReferenceTables.pdf.
The donor, Glenn Matlack, purchased this slide rule in the fall of 1968 for his junior high school general science course at Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Del. Sama & Etani designed and distributed several slide rules made by Concise. For other slide rules by Concise and the company history, see 1985.0636.02, 1996.0141.01, and 2003.0012.01.
Reference: Accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968
maker
Concise
ID Number
2006.0173.01
accession number
2006.0173
catalog number
2006.0173.01

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