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

Charpentier Calculimetre Multidisc Circular Slide Rule

This brass circular slide rule is the size and shape of a pocket watch. The base is a silver-colored disc surrounding a rotating brass ring.
Description
This brass circular slide rule is the size and shape of a pocket watch. The base is a silver-colored disc surrounding a rotating brass ring. The silver-colored indicator, which moves the brass ring and a forked pointer screwed to the center of the instrument, is attached to a small suspension ring. The indicator extends around the back of the instrument for use in reading the scales inscribed there.
Three scales are on the front: two logarithmic scales on the outermost rings (the equivalent of D and C scales on a linear slide rule) and a two-part scale for square roots around the silver-colored circle at the center (corresponding to the A scale on a linear slide rule). Around the center is engraved: CALCULIMETRE G. CHARPENTIER; BREVETÉ S.G.D.G. The serial number 35 is engraved below "Charpentier." The back of the instrument bears a scale of equal parts, a logarithmic scale, and an innermost scale of equal parts. The indicator arm is engraved: FRANCE.
Around 1882, G. Charpentier patented this design in France (as indicated by the "breveté" mark) and Great Britain. Several French instrument makers manufactured the device. In the United States, the Calculimetre was retailed for $5.00 by Keuffel & Esser from 1895 to 1927 and by Dietzgen from 1904 to 1931. According to the donor, John W. Olson, a Wall Street investment banker and collector of "unusual items" named Edward Hamilton Leslie purchased this slide rule around 1925.
References: Robert K. Otnes, "The Charpentier Calculator," Journal of the Oughtred Society pilot issue, vol. 0, no. 0 (1991): 9–11; Florian Cajori, A History of the Logarithmic Slide Rule and Allied Instruments (New York: Engineering News Publishing Company, 1909), 94; Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 81, 161, 193; Catalogue & Price List of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 7th ed. (Chicago, 1904), 174; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 33rd ed. (New York, 1909), 307.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1925
ID Number
1995.0261.01
accession number
1995.0261
catalog number
1995.0261.01

Perrygraf Machining Calculator Slide Rule for LeBlond

This yellow and white rectangular paper rule has a white paper slide and is held together with four metal rivets. On the front, the top scales allow one to calculate the revolutions per minute for a given work diameter and surface speed.
Description
This yellow and white rectangular paper rule has a white paper slide and is held together with four metal rivets. On the front, the top scales allow one to calculate the revolutions per minute for a given work diameter and surface speed. The bottom scales allow calculation of the time in minutes and seconds for a given feed rate, length of cut, and R.P.M. The back of the instrument has tables for converting from fractions to decimals and for finding the suggested carbide surface speed of a lathe for different materials.
Perrygraf Corporation, described in 1979.3074.03, made this instrument in 1949 for the R. K. LeBlond Machine Tool Company of Cincinnati. A salesman could attach his card to the back of the calculator and give it to a client. Richard K. LeBlond (1864–1953) began making machines in 1887 and became known for the quality of his lathes in the 1890s. Products included lathes for manufacturing bicycles and automobile crankshafts. The company employed 1,200 workers and made a mammoth lathe for boring artillery during World War II. In 1981 Makino Corporation of Japan purchased the company. The factory in Cincinnati is now Rookwood Pavilion shopping center.
Perrygraf slide rules in the collection include: 1983.3009.04, 1983.3009.05, 1983.3009.06, 1987.0108.03, 1988.0323.01, 1988.0325.01, and 1992.3103.01.
References: Tom Wyman, "Slide Chart Calculators – A Modest Proposal," Journal of the Oughtred Society 13, no. 1 (2004): 6–10; Kenneth L. Cope, American Lathe Builders: 1810–1910 (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2001), 89; Tony Griffiths, "LeBlond - USA," Machine Tool Reference Archive, http://www.lathes.co.uk/leblond/.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1949
maker
Perry Graf Corporation
ID Number
1992.3103.01
nonaccession number
1992.3103
catalog number
1992.3103.01

Pickett N901-ES Simplex Slide Rule

This aluminum slide rule is coated in "Eye Saver" yellow, as denoted by the model number. It is held together with aluminum braces; the indicator is nylon (also denoted by the model number) with three metal screws.
Description
This aluminum slide rule is coated in "Eye Saver" yellow, as denoted by the model number. It is held together with aluminum braces; the indicator is nylon (also denoted by the model number) with three metal screws. The front of the rule has A, D, and L scales, with B, CI, and C scales on the slide. The scales are about ten inches long. The slide and the top of the rule are both marked: MODEL N901-ES (/) SIMPLEX (/) MATH RULE. The other end of the slide bears the Pickett logo and the mark: MADE IN U.S.A.
The back of the rule has X and D* scales, with Y and C* scales on the slide. The top of the rule is marked: PICKETT, INC.; MODEL N901-ES; SIMPLEX MATH RULE. The bottom of the rule is marked: COPYRIGHT 1965; PICKETT, INC. SANTA BARBARA. CALIF.; MADE IN U.S.A.
The rule fits in a black leather sheath. The sheath was received in a green, white, and black cardboard box. One end of the box is marked: PickETT (/) 901-ES (/) ELEMENTARY MATH. It also is marked: about this rule: (/) 10 scales are keyed to (/) new math. Aids under- (/) standing of addition, (/) subtraction, multiplica- (/) tion, division and Base 10 (/) relationships. Grade 3 up. The inside of the box top flips up for display. The box slides into a green, white, and black cardboard cover. The top and sides of the box cover are each marked: PickETT; ALL METAL (/) SLIDE (/) RULE.
The box also contains a yellow paper slide rule guarantee and registration card. The object's serial number is A1216143. A 48-page instruction manual by Maurice L. Hartung is stored separately (1995.0126.02.01).
The X and Y scales were used for addition and subtraction and were unique to Pickett. Donor Lawrence J. Kamm conjectured that Hartung, a mathematics professor at the University of Chicago, recommended they be added to this product. According to Kamm, Hartung encouraged company cofounder Ross Pickett to market its slide rules only to schoolchildren. In order to provide scientists and engineers with access to rules such as the Decimal Keeper (1995.0126.01), Kamm opened a mail-order business that distributed Pickett's products.
References: Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: The Astragal Press, 1999), 209–210; Maurice L. Hartung, Complete, Semi-Programmed Teaching Instructions for the Use of Elementary Simplex Math Slide Rule (Santa Barbara, Calif.: Pickett, Inc., 1965); accession file; International Slide Rule Museum, "Pickett," http://sliderulemuseum.com/Pickett.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1965
date received
1995
maker
Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated
ID Number
1995.0126.02
accession number
1995.0126
catalog number
1995.0126.02

Keuffel & Esser 4071-3 Polyphase Decitrig Duplex Slide Rule

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

Instruction Manual for Charles Bruning Model 2401 Slide Rule

The citation information for this 16-page pamphlet is Charles Bruning Company, Inc., Instruction Manual for Bruning Slide Rule No. 2401 (New York, 1944). The cover notes that the company had applied for a patent on a slide rule indicator, but no such patent has been found.
Description
The citation information for this 16-page pamphlet is Charles Bruning Company, Inc., Instruction Manual for Bruning Slide Rule No. 2401 (New York, 1944). The cover notes that the company had applied for a patent on a slide rule indicator, but no such patent has been found. The manual begins with the claim that results on model 2401 were significant to three digits. After explaining the parts of a slide rule, the manual divides the process of learning to use a slide rule into twelve steps, each of which are discussed with examples, solutions, and exercises in the remainder of the pamphlet. This manual was received with 1991.0445.03.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944
maker
Charles Bruning Company, Inc.
ID Number
1991.0445.03.01
accession number
1991.0445
catalog number
1991.0445.03.01

Otis King's Pocket Calculator Model L Cylindrical Slide Rule

This six-inch cylindrical slide rule consists of a chromium-plated holder, a metal cylinder that slides into the holder, and a black metal tube that fits around and slides up and down on the cylinder. The rule is ten inches long when extended.
Description
This six-inch cylindrical slide rule consists of a chromium-plated holder, a metal cylinder that slides into the holder, and a black metal tube that fits around and slides up and down on the cylinder. The rule is ten inches long when extended. Two short white lines on the tube and a black mark on the chrome cap at the end of the cylinder serve as the indicator. A paper spiral logarithmic scale is attached to the top half of the holder. A second, linear and logarithmic, paper scale is attached to the cylinder. The logarithmic scales are used to multiply and divide, and the linear scale is used to find logarithms.
At the top of the cylinder is printed: PATENT No 183723. At the bottom of the cylinder is printed: OTIS KING'S POCKET CALCULATOR; SCALE No 430. The top of the scale on the holder is printed: SCALE No 429; COPYRIGHT. The bottom is printed: OTIS KING'S PATENT No 183723. The end of the holder is machine engraved: MADE IN (/) Y5466 (/) ENGLAND.
The instrument arrived in a mailing tube with return address: CALCULATOR COMPANY (/) POST OFFICE BOX 593 (/) LAKEWOOD, CALIFORNIA 90714.
Otis Carter Formby King invented this form of slide rule in 1921, and Carbic Limited of London, England, manufactured it until 1972. The Calculator Company served as Carbic's distributor in the United States. The 5-digit ZIP code on the mailing tube indicates this example was made after 1963. The serial number, Y5466, suggests a date around 1965–1969.
See also 1987.0788.01 and 1981.0922.09. The slide rule was received with a trifold instruction sheet, 1989.3049.03, and an advertising pamphlet, 1989.3049.04.
References: Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 44; Richard F. Lyon, "Dating of the Otis King: An Alternative Theory Developed Through Use of the Internet," Journal of the Oughtred Society 7, no. 1 (1998): 33–38; Dick Lyon, "Otis King's Patent Calculator," http://www.svpal.org/~dickel/OK/OtisKing.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965-1968
maker
Carbic Limited
ID Number
1989.3049.02
nonaccession number
1989.3049
catalog number
1989.3049.02

Dietzgen 1771 Redirule Simplex Slide Rule

This one-sided, five-inch white molded plastic rule has a plastic indicator with a hairline and plastic edges. A, D, and K scales are on the base, with B, CI, and C scales on one side of the slide and S, L, and T scales on the other side of the slide.
Description
This one-sided, five-inch white molded plastic rule has a plastic indicator with a hairline and plastic edges. A, D, and K scales are on the base, with B, CI, and C scales on one side of the slide and S, L, and T scales on the other side of the slide. The top and bottom edges are beveled, with a scale of 5 inches divided to 32nds of an inch on the top and a scale of 12.5 centimeters divided to millimeters on the bottom. The top of the base is marked (in red): No. 1771 REDIRULE ® DIETZGEN MADE IN U.S.A. Three screws for adjusting the rule are on the back of the instrument. The rule fits in a brown leather sheath marked: DIETZGEN. The sheath fits in an orange paper box marked on each end: DIETZGEN Redi-Rule ® (/) 5 INCH POCKET SLIDE RULE (/) Molded Plastic, Leather Sheath 1771. The rule was received with an instruction manual, 1993.0357.02.01.
According to records of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Eugene Dietzgen Company began using the phrase REDIRULE to describe slide rules in 1944, applied for a trademark on the term in 1947, and received the trademark in 1953. According to Peter Hopp and Bruce Babcock, Dietzgen manufactured model 1771 of the Redirule or Redi-rule from 1941 to 1972. (Another Redirule, model 1776, had an additional six scales and metal endpieces.) Dietzgen's catalog for 1948–1949 describes model 1771 as "a real pocket companion" that "weighs no more than your pen."
References: Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 160; Bruce Babcock, "Dietzgen Catalog Matrix," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/Dietzgen_CatalogMatrix_BruceBabcock1996_chart.jpg; Dietzgen Redirule Instruction Manual (Chicago: Eugene Dietzgen Co., n.d.), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/M12_Dietzgen_1776_redirule_ref-P023.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), 107–108; http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/Dietzgen_1734_Manual.pdf.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1953-1972
maker
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
1993.0357.02
accession number
1993.0357
catalog number
1993.0357.02

Pamphlet, How to Use Dual Base Log Log Slide Rules

Pickett, Inc., was a slide rule manufacturer that started in Chicago in 1943, shifted most of its operations to Alhambra, Calif., in 1946, and moved to Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1964. Maurice L.
Description
Pickett, Inc., was a slide rule manufacturer that started in Chicago in 1943, shifted most of its operations to Alhambra, Calif., in 1946, and moved to Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1964. Maurice L. Hartung, a mathematics professor at the University of Chicago, wrote several instruction manuals for the company, including How to Use Dual Base Log Log Slide Rules. This 93-page booklet was intended for use with Pickett models 2, 3, and 4. It contains sections on the general operation of a slide rule, the use of scales for trigonometry and roots, elementary vector methods, the use of logarithmic scales, practice problems, hyperbolic functions, and circular functions. Hartung also showed how the double T scales could solve side-angle-side triangle problems in one step. Model 600 was advertised at the back of the manual, and instructions for caring for Pickett slide rules were provided inside the back cover.
Although Hartung wrote the manual in 1947, this printing was made after the company moved to Santa Barbara in 1964. Compare 1980.0097.05.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965, 1947
maker
Hartung, Maurice L.
ID Number
1995.3023.06
nonaccession number
1995.3023
catalog number
1995.3023.06

Pickett 61 Student Simplex Slide Rule

This one-sided five-inch white plastic rule has a plastic indicator attached as a bracket (i.e., there is no back). The base has K, A, D, and L scales, with B, CI, and C scales on the slide.
Description
This one-sided five-inch white plastic rule has a plastic indicator attached as a bracket (i.e., there is no back). The base has K, A, D, and L scales, with B, CI, and C scales on the slide. The left end of the slide is marked: MODEL 61, and the right side has the Pickett triangular logo in white, which was chiefly used between 1950 and 1958. The number 38 is printed above the logo.
The rule slides into a black synthetic leather stitched case, which fits in an orange and black paper box. A Pickett triangular logo with block print and inside a circle appears on the box. This form of logo was used between 1962 and 1964. The logo and the plastic material used in the rule suggest the instrument was made in the 1960s.
The ends of the box are marked: PLASTIC TRAINER SLIDE RULE; NO. 61 (/) $1.95; FINEST QUALITY ENGRAVED (/) 5" SLIDE RULE. The top and bottom of the box describe the instrument as a STUDENT SLIDE RULE. It came with a pamphlet, "How to Use Basic Slide Rules in 3 Easy Steps" (1991.0445.02.01). Students were permitted to trade this rule in toward the purchase of a Pickett all-metal rule.
Argentine-born electrical and mechanical engineer Richard R. Lombardi used this slide rule and donated it to the Smithsonian. A price tag on the box and a receipt for the object indicates he paid $1.56; the receipt is dated 1971, although the trade-in certificate also included with the rule expired in 1966. Company marks on the pamphlet indicate it was printed after 1964.
Reference: Peter M. Hopp, "Scales and Gauge Points," in Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 285–287.
Location
Currently not on view
date purchased
1971
maker
Pickett Industries
ID Number
1991.0445.02
accession number
1991.0445
catalog number
1991.0445.02

Pamphlet, How to Use Log Log Slide Rules

Maurice Hartung of the University of Chicago wrote this sixty-four page booklet to explain the use of Pickett slide rules with model numbers N3ES, N803ES, and N800ES.It was published by Pickett, Inc., in Santa Barbara, California, in 1953.For related transactions, see 1978.2239 a
Description
Maurice Hartung of the University of Chicago wrote this sixty-four page booklet to explain the use of Pickett slide rules with model numbers N3ES, N803ES, and N800ES.It was published by Pickett, Inc., in Santa Barbara, California, in 1953.
For related transactions, see 1978.2239 and 1978.3551.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1953
after 1964, 1953
maker
Hartung, Maurice L.
ID Number
1995.3023.02
nonaccession number
1995.3023
catalog number
1995.3023.02

Keuffel & Esser 68-1555 Doric Duplex Slide Rule

This turquoise plastic 5-inch duplex slide rule has DF, D, and L scales on the front of the base and CF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked: PAT. PEND.; CELANESE CELCON; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide is marked: DORIC (/) K & E CO.
Description
This turquoise plastic 5-inch duplex slide rule has DF, D, and L scales on the front of the base and CF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked: PAT. PEND.; CELANESE CELCON; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide is marked: DORIC (/) K & E CO. On the back, the base has K, A, D, and T scales, and the slide has B, ST, and S scales. The indicator is plastic, and the endpieces are metal.
The rule fits in a black leather sheath, embossed with the K+E logo and imprinted in gold: CELANESE CELCON (/) DESIGNED FOR THE ENGINEER ∙ ENGINEERED FOR THE DESIGNER. The sheath and a leaflet, "How to Take Care of Your Slide Rule," fit in a cardboard box covered with green vinyl. The end of the box bears a label marked: K+E (/) 68 1555 (/) POCKET SLIDE RULE (/) LEATHER SHEATH (/) MADE IN U.S.A.; TRADE MARKS ®. It is also marked there: OLD (/) 4168.
According to the donor, “The Celcon rule is significant because this is the first use of this very durable engineering plastic or resin in a slide rule. This durable material, trademarked Celcon, was an American invention made in the laboratories of the Celanese Corporation.” The donor was corporate research director at Celanese Corporation before he retired in December 1981. The 1962 Keuffel & Esser Catalog lists a 5" slide rule with model number 68 1555 made of “Ivorite.” The instrument is shown in the 1964 and 1967 catalogs (still as made of “Ivorite”) and called the “Doric.” It is not shown in the 1972 catalog. Celanese Corporation first used the term “Celcon” to refer to a thermoplastic in 1945, and trademarked the term in 1960. It seems likely that this rule was produced especially for Celanese Corporation in the period 1962–1971. This was the only time K&E manufactured a slide rule that was not white.
References: Joseph L. Soper, "The Celanese Celcon Promotional Slide Rule," in K&E Salisbury Products Division Slide Rules (Pleasanton, Calif.: The Oughtred Society, 2007), 115; 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
1962-1971
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1993.0357.01
accession number
1993.0357
catalog number
1993.0357.01

Impact Metric Converter Slide Rule for Regal Beloit

Around 1970 many American companies and government agencies encouraged Americans to adopt the metric system.
Description
Around 1970 many American companies and government agencies encouraged Americans to adopt the metric system. Regal Beloit of Wisconsin and other manufacturers of cutting tools and gear boxes adopted the units of measure and distributed devices like this one to assist in their use.
The one-sided white cardboard rule is printed in orange and black and has eight windows. Two logarithmic scales on the slide are viewed through four of the windows so that the user can convert between yards or feet and meters; centimeters and inches; pounds and kilograms; and tons and metric tons. Two more logarithmic scales on the slide permit conversions between square yards and square meters; square centimeters and square inches; cubic yards and cubic meters; and liters and imperial gallons or U.S. gallons. Below the windows is a scale for converting between Celsius and Fahrenheit temperatures. The rule is marked: REGAL BELOIT. It is also marked metric/inch (/) CONVERTER. It is also marked SWANI PUBLISHING COMPANY (/) P.O. Box 284 • Roscoe, Illinois 61073 (/) 815 / 389-3065.
The back of the rule has small windows for reading conversions between fractional inches, decimal inches, and millimeters from columns of numbers printed on the slide. Tables of equivalents appear above more windows for reading conversions between inches and centimeters and miles and kilometers. After another table of prefixes and equivalents, instructions for using this side of the rule are provided. More small windows permit conversions between U.S. gallons and liters and cubic feet and cubic meters. At the bottom, the rule is marked: DISTRIBUTED BY (/) C-6862. The back of the slide is marked ©1971, IMPACT, Culver City, Callf. (/) Printed in U.S.A.
Impact was presumably a printing company. Swani was a division of Regal Beloit that published a few elementary textbooks on the metric system. Compare this rule to 1990.0689.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1971
maker
Impact
ID Number
1990.3231.01
nonaccession number
1990.3231
catalog number
1990.3231.01

Edmund Vernon Slide Rule and Tie Clasp

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

Keuffel & Esser N4088-5 Polyphase Duplex Slide Rule

This 20-inch mahogany duplex slide rule is coated with white celluloid and held together with L-shaped metal end pieces. The front of the base has DF and D scales, with CF, CIF, and C scales on the slide. The right end of the slide is marked in red: < N4088-5 >.
Description
This 20-inch mahogany duplex slide rule is coated with white celluloid and held together with L-shaped metal end pieces. The front of the base has DF and D scales, with CF, CIF, and C scales on the slide. The right end of the slide is marked in red: < N4088-5 >. The bottom of the base is marked in red: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PAT. JUNE 5. '00 DEC. 22. '08; MADE IN U.S.A. Between the second and third of these marks is scratched: BS37884C.
The back of the base has K, A, D, and L scales, with B, S, T, and CI scales on the slide. The left end of the slide and the front of the rule are marked with a serial number: 235867. A glass indicator has plastic edges held together with metal screws. One edge is marked: K&E.CO.N.Y. (/) PAT.8.17.15. The rule is in a green cardboard box that also contains a paper slip of instructions for adjusting the rule. The back of the slip has a table of equivalents and abbreviations from U.S. Bureau of Standards Circular No. 47. Compare to the tables pasted on the back of slide rules such as 1984.1068.01, MA.321780, and 1987.1084.01. Keuffel & Esser of New York manufactured and sold model N4088-5 from 1936 to 1938 for $22.00.
The physicist Philip Krupen (1915–2001) gave this slide rule to the Smithsonian in 1986. He earned a BS from Brooklyn College in 1935, worked on the development of the proximity fuse during and after World War II, received an MS in physics from The George Washington University, and spent a total of 38 years working for the U.S. government before he retired in 1973.
References: Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule" (U.S. Patent 651,142 issued June 5, 1900); Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule" (U.S. Patent 907,373 issued December 22, 1908); Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule Runner" (U.S. Patent 1,150,771 issued August 17, 1915); Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 38th ed. (New York, 1936), 314–315; "Price List of K&E Slide Rules," (July 1, 1938), 1; Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 71–75; "Philip Krupen," The Washington Post, February 23, 2001, B07.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1936-1938
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1986.0790.02
accession number
1986.0790
catalog number
1986.0790.02

Perrygraf Metalcutting Slide Rule for Dreis & Krump

The Chicago firm of Dreis & Krump distributed this yellow paper slide rule as an aid to those using the machine tools it manufactured to cut, bend, and punch sheet steel and brass. The rule has a paper slide and is held together with metal rivets.
Description
The Chicago firm of Dreis & Krump distributed this yellow paper slide rule as an aid to those using the machine tools it manufactured to cut, bend, and punch sheet steel and brass. The rule has a paper slide and is held together with metal rivets. The front of the instrument and slide combine to produce a table for determining the length of sheet steel required, assuming the piece has various numbers and shapes of bends. The reverse has a rule for calculating tons pressure per lineal foot, given the gauge of the metal and the width of the female die opening desired. The back also has a rule for calculating the tons of pressure needed for punching three types of metal, given the gauge of the metal and the diameter of the hole.
The front is marked: DREIS & KRUMP (/) MANUFACTURING COMPANY (/) Mfrs. of CHICAGO STEEL PRESS BRAKES. The right side has a logo with the letters D&K in a diamond; the company stopped using this logo by about 1960. On the back, the left side is marked: DREIS & KRUMP (/) MFG. CO., (/) CHICAGO 36. The lower right corner is marked: Copyright 1944, Perry Graf Corp., Maywood, Ill.
Dreis & Krump was one of many businesses that turned to Perrygraf (or Perry Graf) Corporation for promotional slide rules and charts. In 1934, machinery inspector Lester E. Perry (1901–1991) came up with the idea of equipping salespeople with slide charts so that they could immediately answer customers' questions. Perrygraf Corporation, the company he established in the Chicago, Ill., suburbs, quickly became a dominant force in this market.
References: Walter Shawlee II, "The Wonderful World of Slide Charts, Wheel Charts, and Perrygrafs," Sphere Research Corp., http://sphere.bc.ca/test/perrygraf.html; "People: Perrygraf," Waywiser, Harvard University Department of the History of Science website.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944
maker
Perry Graf Corporation
ID Number
1988.0325.01
accession number
1988.0325
catalog number
1988.0325.01

Pickett 120-T Student Simplex Slide Rule

This ten-inch white plastic one-sided linear slide rule has a clear plastic indicator that goes all the way around the instrument. The posts holding the rule together are also white. The base has K, A, D, and L scales, with B, T, S, CI, and C scales on the slide.
Description
This ten-inch white plastic one-sided linear slide rule has a clear plastic indicator that goes all the way around the instrument. The posts holding the rule together are also white. The base has K, A, D, and L scales, with B, T, S, CI, and C scales on the slide. The left end of the slide is marked: PICKETT (/) NO. 120. The right end of the slide is engraved with the Pickett triangular logo used between 1958 and 1962. The bottom right corner of the base is marked: MADE IN U.S.A.
The rule fits in a black imitation leather stitched sheath. Pickett advertised this "trig trainer" slide rule in the September 17, 1961, issue of the Chicago Daily Tribune. In later years, Pickett added the model name "Microline" to the model number. The company intended that students would learn fundamental operations with these rules and then graduate to its more complex aluminum rules. Compare the five-inch student rule, 1991.0445.02, and the ten-inch Microline duplex rule, 1989.0325.07.
Mechanical engineer Edward L. Heller (1912–2007) donated this example to the Smithsonian. From 1956 to 1959, he worked as a nuclear project engineer for H. K. Ferguson Co. He was a technical manager for General Dynamics Corporation from 1959 to 1967. He married in 1946 and raised two children. Since the slide rule was probably purchased about 1960, Heller may have expected that his children would use it.
References: American Men and Women of Science, 12th ed. (New York: J. Cattell Press, 1972), iii:2620; International Slide Rule Museum, "Pickett All-Metal Slide Rules," http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm#Pickett.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1958-1962
maker
Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated
ID Number
1984.1068.03
accession number
1984.1068
catalog number
1984.1068.03

Circular Slide Rule, Bearing Rate Computer, Felsenthal FNR-5A

Mathematical instruments have long been used to assist in aiming weapons. This circular slide rule is one such device. Made for use in antisubmarine warfare, it has two scales on the base, two scales on a concentric disc atop this, and a rotating pointer pivoted at the center.
Description
Mathematical instruments have long been used to assist in aiming weapons. This circular slide rule is one such device. Made for use in antisubmarine warfare, it has two scales on the base, two scales on a concentric disc atop this, and a rotating pointer pivoted at the center. The lower disc has scales for the speed in knots and the range in yard. The upper disc has scales for the bearing rate and angle.
A mark on the disc reads: BEARING (/) RATE COMPUTER (/) FSN 1A 1220-691-0962 (/) MK 138 MOD. 1. A mark lower on the disc reads: FELSENTHAL INSTRUMENTS CO. (/) MFR’S PART No. FNR-5A (/) MFR’S CODE 22040.
Felsenthal made bearing rate computers for the U.S. Navy from at least the 1950s until at least the year 2000. A tag received with the object indicates that this model was produced from 1965.
Compare 1977.1141.33, 1977.1141.34, 1977.1141.35, and 1977.1141.36.
Reference:
U.S. Navy, Operations Specialist Volume I, NAVEDTRA 14308, 2000, pp 10-22 through 10-28. This volume was accessed online August 3, 2017.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Felsenthal Instrument Co.
ID Number
1977.1141.36
catalog number
336420
accession number
1977.1141

Koehler Trim-Numeral Calculator

This plastic green and white slide rule carries out calculations related to the capacity, draft, and resistance of cargo tankers able to carry up to 26,700 deadweight metric tons of petroleum or petroleum products. Eight metal rivets hold the rule together.
Description
This plastic green and white slide rule carries out calculations related to the capacity, draft, and resistance of cargo tankers able to carry up to 26,700 deadweight metric tons of petroleum or petroleum products. Eight metal rivets hold the rule together. The front is marked: KOEHLER TRIM-NUMERAL CALCULATOR (/) 26700 D.W.T. TANKERS. The bottom of the front of the slide is marked: MARKETED BY JEFKO PRODUCTS COMPANY, 100 OAKLAND ROAD, MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY. The back of the rule and the back of the slide are both marked: COPYRIGHT 1954 BY J. F. KOEHLER.
According to the accession file, this instrument was made by Felsenthal Instrument Company in 1954 as model number FDJ-23. For company history, see 1977.1141.01 and 1977.1141.02. The address for JEFKO Products is a single-family home constructed in 1925. A New Jersey engineer named J. Franklin Koehler (b. 1927) earned a B.S. in naval architecture and marine transportation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1951 with a thesis titled "Influence of Rising Operating Costs on Relative Economic Operation of Higher Speed Cargo Vessels."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1954
maker
Felsenthal Instrument Co.
ID Number
1977.1141.38
catalog number
336422
accession number
1977.1141

Pickett 14 Military Duplex Slide Rule

This ten-inch aluminum linear slide rule is coated with yellow plastic and has a flat nylon indicator. The back of the base has LL1, LL2, A, D, LL3, and LL4 scales, with B, T, ST, S, K, and C scales on the slide. The left end of the slide is marked: MODEL 14 (/) U.S.
Description
This ten-inch aluminum linear slide rule is coated with yellow plastic and has a flat nylon indicator. The back of the base has LL1, LL2, A, D, LL3, and LL4 scales, with B, T, ST, S, K, and C scales on the slide. The left end of the slide is marked: MODEL 14 (/) U.S. The right end has the Pickett triangular logo used between 1958 and 1962. The style of the grooved stamped aluminum posts is also consisted with this timeframe.
The top front of the base has scales for "opposite angle" (sine) in both degrees and mils; the top bottom of the base has "Distance D" and A scales. The front of the slide has scales for apex angle (in both mils and degrees), tangent, sine-tangent, sine, and base. The top center of the base is marked: U.S. MILITARY SLIDE RULE.
Pickett & Eckel, Inc., of Chicago and Alhambra, Calif., made this instrument for computations related to the use of field artillery. It fits in an orange-red leather case that has the Pickett logo and US stamped in gold on the front and a metal loop on the back for suspension from a belt. The case is lined with white plastic. A white plastic "data strip" slides into a slot on the case. The strip contains diagrams and equations for trigonometric functions, traverse computations, azimuth and distance from coordinates, triangle computation, and the distance to an artillery target.
The case fits in a brown, black, white, and yellow paper box. The box and its insert are repeatedly marked: ALL METAL SLIDE RULE a rule for every need. The Pickett logo appears between the two segments of the mark. The end of the box once bore a paper tag: 1 UNIT - FSN - 7520 - 656 - 0660 (/) Slide Rule – Military, Field Artillery (/) With Data Strip and Case MIL-S-20195B (/) Mfg. Contr.; PICKETT & ECKEL, INC. Model No. 14.
The object comes from the Felsenthal Collection of computing devices. (See Felsenthal's company history with 1977.1141.02.) Donor Ben Rau suggested a date of 1965 for this slide rule, but it was probably made a few years earlier. Compare to the box collected with 1995.0126.02.
References: Accession File; Tom Bullock, "Pickett 14 U.S. military slide rule," December 8, 2009, http://www.tbullock.com/sliderule.html; Clark McCoy, "Highlights of the A. J. Boardman Collection of Pickett Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 16, no. 2 (2007): 10–14.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1958-1962
maker
Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated
ID Number
1977.1141.29
catalog number
336413
accession number
1977.1141

Instruction Manual for Pickett & Eckel Deci Log Log Slide Rule

This 32-page booklet was received with 1979.0601.02. Its citation information is: Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use the Deci Log Log Slide Rule (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1947).
Description
This 32-page booklet was received with 1979.0601.02. Its citation information is: Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use the Deci Log Log Slide Rule (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1947). Hartung, a University of Chicago professor and consultant to Pickett & Eckel, provided a basic overview of mathematical operations on the slide rule. He then explained placing the decimal point; the inverted scales; scales for squares and cubes, logarithms, and trigonometry; and solving problems using multiple scales. He next described the log log scales in a section that has several diagrams of slide rules.
A pink paper sheet on caring for the slide rule is inside the booklet. A previous owner has written in a few corrections, including an updated population of the United States of 175 million in 1957.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1947
author
Hartung, Maurice L.
ID Number
1979.0601.04
accession number
1979.0601
catalog number
1979.0601.04

Circular Slide Rule, Bearing Rate Computer, Felsenthal FNR-5

Mathematical instruments have long been used to assist in aiming weapons. This circular slide rule is one such device. Made for use in antisubmarine warfare, it has two scales on the base, two scales on a concentric disc atop this, and a rotating pointer pivoted at the center.
Description
Mathematical instruments have long been used to assist in aiming weapons. This circular slide rule is one such device. Made for use in antisubmarine warfare, it has two scales on the base, two scales on a concentric disc atop this, and a rotating pointer pivoted at the center. The base has scales for the target speed in knots and the range in yards. The rotating disc has scales for the bearing rate and angle on bow. The inner scales on both the base and the disc are in green.
A mark on the lower edge of the base reads: SPECIAL DEVICES CENTER DEVICE 1-BA-2 (/) BEARING RATE COMPUTER. A mark on the disc reads: G. FELSENTHAL & SONS, INC. (/) PART NO. FNR-5.
Felsenthal made bearing rate computers for the U.S. Navy from at least the 1950s until at least the year 2000. A tag received with the object indicates that this model was produced from 1952.
Compare 1977.1141.33, 1977.1141.34, 1977.1141.35, and 1977.1141.36. This object is a smaller version of 1977.1141.34.
Reference:
U.S. Navy, Operations Specialist Volume I, NAVEDTRA 14308, 2000, p. 10-22 through 10-28. This volume was accessed online August 3, 2017.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Felsenthal Instrument Co.
ID Number
1977.1141.33
catalog number
336417
accession number
1977.1141

Felsenthal Graphical Site Table

This one-sided wooden instrument, similar to a slide rule, was designed in 1964 by Felsenthal Instrument Company but, according to the accession file, made at the Fort Sill Bookstore in Oklahoma. It was used to position a 155 mm howitzer armed with high-explosive M107 shells.
Description
This one-sided wooden instrument, similar to a slide rule, was designed in 1964 by Felsenthal Instrument Company but, according to the accession file, made at the Fort Sill Bookstore in Oklahoma. It was used to position a 155 mm howitzer armed with high-explosive M107 shells. The indicator is clear plastic with wooden edges held together with brass screws.
The bottom of the base has a scale labeled Site and Vertical Interval. The lower right corner of the base is marked: Rule 2 (/) Apr 64. On one side, the slide has a scale for range and scales for the Target Above Gun (TAG) and Target Below Gun (TBG) with charges of 5 or 6. The other side of the slide has another scale for range and TAG/TBG scales for charges of 3, 4, and 7. Tables for the observer's position are on the left and right ends of the slide on both sides. Both sides are marked: HOW 155 mm (/) FT 155-AH-1 (/) PROJ, HE, M107 Rule 2 (/) Apr 64.
Tables for angling guns to the left and right at various distances are printed under the slide. The back of the instrument has instructions and examples of use. The markings suggest that this rule was distributed in a white bag. Compare to 1977.1141.26, which may be an earlier version of the instrument.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1964
maker
Felsenthal Instrument Co.
ID Number
1977.1141.27
catalog number
336411
accession number
1977.1141

Makeba-Kombinator Pencil Slide Rule

This instrument combines a mechanical pencil and a slide rule. The pencil has a metal body surrounding a black plastic tube, which is pulled out to move the scales. Four white plastic logarithmic scales are glued to the pencil.
Description
This instrument combines a mechanical pencil and a slide rule. The pencil has a metal body surrounding a black plastic tube, which is pulled out to move the scales. Four white plastic logarithmic scales are glued to the pencil. One pair of scales is divided logarithmically from 1 to 100 (as A and B scales), and the other pair is divided logarithmically from 1 to 10 (as C and D scales).
The black plastic tube (underneath one of the A/B scales) is marked: MAKEBA-KOMBINATOR. The black plastic tube surrounds a metal tube and spring, which connect a metal tip and a plastic pusher. A pencil lead is inside the metal tube. A sliding plastic indicator is in a metal frame with a ridged edge for gripping.
Makeba was established in Bautzen, Germany, in 1922. By the 1950s, it was a sub-brand of Markant, an East German company that copied designs for Pelikan fountain pens as late as the 1970s.
Reference: Der neue Makeba-Kombinator: Fallstift mit Rechenschieber (Bautzen, East Germany: VEB Füllhalterfabrik Makeba, 1957). According to Worldcat, a copy of this publication is in the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek in Leipzig. See http://d-nb.info/574971327.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1957
maker
Makeba
ID Number
1977.1120.01
catalog number
336447
accession number
1977.1120

Circular Slide Rule, Bearing Rate Computer, Felsenthal FNR-5

Mathematical instruments have long been used to assist in aiming weapons. This circular slide rule is one such device. Made for use in antisubmarine warfare, it has two scales on the base, two scales on a concentric disc atop this, and a rotating pointer pivoted at the center.
Description
Mathematical instruments have long been used to assist in aiming weapons. This circular slide rule is one such device. Made for use in antisubmarine warfare, it has two scales on the base, two scales on a concentric disc atop this, and a rotating pointer pivoted at the center. The lower disc has scales for the target speed in knots and the range in yards. The upper disc has scales for the bearing rate and angle on bow. The inner scales on both the base and the disc are in green.
A mark on the lower edge of the base reads: SPECIAL DEVICES CENTER DEVICE 1-BA-2a (/) BEARING RATE COMPUTOR [sic]. A mark on the disc reads:G. FELSENTHAL & SONS, INC. (/) PART NO. FNR-5.
Felsenthal made bearing rate computers for the U.S. Navy from at least the 1950s until at least the year 2000. A tag received with the object indicates that this model was produced from 1952.
Compare 1977.1141.33, 1977.1141.34, 1977.1141.35, and 1977.1141.36. Objects 1977.1141.35 and 1977.1141.36 appear to differ only in device number, the color of the two inner scales, and the spelling of “COMPUTER.”
Reference:
U.S. Navy, Operations Specialist Volume I, NAVEDTRA 14308, 2000, p. 10-22 through 10-28. This volume was accessed online August 3, 2017.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Felsenthal Instrument Co.
ID Number
1977.1141.34
catalog number
336418
accession number
1977.1141

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