Science & Mathematics

Chemical Balance

The Museum's collections hold thousands of objects related to chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, and other sciences. Instruments range from early American telescopes to lasers. Rare glassware and other artifacts from the laboratory of Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen, are among the scientific treasures here. A Gilbert chemistry set of about 1937 and other objects testify to the pleasures of amateur science. Artifacts also help illuminate the social and political history of biology and the roles of women and minorities in science.

The mathematics collection holds artifacts from slide rules and flash cards to code-breaking equipment. More than 1,000 models demonstrate some of the problems and principles of mathematics, and 80 abstract paintings by illustrator and cartoonist Crockett Johnson show his visual interpretations of mathematical theorems.

Place: England

Radioactive source for Crookes spinthariscope

A spinthariscope is a device for observing individual nuclear disintegrations caused by the interaction of ionizing radiation with a phosphor or scintillator.
Description
A spinthariscope is a device for observing individual nuclear disintegrations caused by the interaction of ionizing radiation with a phosphor or scintillator. Typically, an eyepiece and a radiation source are located at opposite ends of the cylindrical device.
Two types of spinthariscope are shown in the accompanying multi-object image; a Crookes spinthariscope appears on the right. (Photograph provided by donor, Prof. Herbert Clark, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.)
For general background on the spinthariscope go to:
http://skullsinthestars.com/2011/04/25/the-spinthariscope-see-atoms-decay-before-your-eyes/
For background on the Crookes spinthariscope go to: https://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/spinthariscopes/crookes.htm
Description of the separate source for the Crookes spinthariscope, object ID no. 1994.0125.17.2
This separate radioactive source, presumably radium, for Crookes spinthariscope object ID 1994.0125.17.1, is enclosed in a 3 7/8” x 1 ½” x ¼” case of unknown material, with a cardboard lid held by a cloth hinge in which a rectangular window roughly 2” wide by 1” deep. Behind the window is a circular depression about 3/8” in diameter, in the center of which embedded in an unknown white matrix, the presumed 1 mm diameter source lies. Visible through the window, above the source well is the inscription “The Spinthariscope”, and below the source well is the inscription “W. Crookes 1903”. The source .17.2 in the case appears in the accompanying multi-object image, second object from the right.
The sides of the case are further enclosed by stacks of glass microscope slides 3/16’ thick, held by twisted wires and foam pads over top and bottom. The glass slides were placed on both sides of the case by Clark; they have been left undisturbed as a precautionary measure. The object .17.2 in this arrangment appears in the second accompanying image.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
maker
Crookes, William
ID Number
1994.0125.17.2
accession number
1994.0125
catalog number
1994.0125.17.2

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

Numbers In Colour, A New Method of Teaching Arithmetic In Primary Schools

During the 1950s, the Belgian teacher Emile-Georges Cuisenaire designed a set of rods to teach about numbers and basic arithmetic. Caleb Gattegno popularized his methods in Great Britain and the United States.
Description
During the 1950s, the Belgian teacher Emile-Georges Cuisenaire designed a set of rods to teach about numbers and basic arithmetic. Caleb Gattegno popularized his methods in Great Britain and the United States. This small paperbound book by Cuisenaire and Gattegno first appeared in 1954, was in its third edition by 1958, and was reprinted frequently in the next few years. This is a 1961 printing.
For a set of Cuisenaire rods and further information about the donor of the materials, see 1987.0542.01. For related documentation see 1987.0542.02 through 1987.0542.07.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1961
maker
Cuisenaire, G.
ID Number
1987.0542.02
accession number
1987.0542
catalog number
1987.0542.02

Elliott Bros. Drawing Pen

This 5-3/4" steel, brass, and ivory drawing pen is marked: ELLIOTT. William Elliott began making mathematical instruments in London in the early 19th century. His sons, Frederick and Charles, joined the firm in 1850.
Description
This 5-3/4" steel, brass, and ivory drawing pen is marked: ELLIOTT. William Elliott began making mathematical instruments in London in the early 19th century. His sons, Frederick and Charles, joined the firm in 1850. They operated as Elliott Brothers after William died in 1853, expanding the range of instruments offered. This pen was probably made in the early 20th century. BAE Systems acquired Elliott Bros. in 1988. Archival materials may be found in the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford.
References: Gloria Clifton, "An Introduction to the History of Elliott Brothers up to 1900," Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society 36 (1993): 2–7; H. R. Bristow, "Elliott, Instrument Makers of London. Products, Customers and Development in the 19th Century," Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society 36 (1993): 8–11; H. R. Bristow, "Lewisham to Oxford: The Elliott Archive and Instrument Collection," Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society 109 (2011): 14–15.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
maker
Elliott Brothers
ID Number
1978.2110.07
accession number
1978.2110
catalog number
336733

W. F. Stanley Lifting-Nib Drawing Pen

This 5-7/8" steel, brass, and ivory drawing pen has a spring inside the point to draw the tips of the point together when the screw is tightened to make a narrower line. The point is also jointed, so when the screw is removed, one side of the point may be opened to a 90° angle.
Description
This 5-7/8" steel, brass, and ivory drawing pen has a spring inside the point to draw the tips of the point together when the screw is tightened to make a narrower line. The point is also jointed, so when the screw is removed, one side of the point may be opened to a 90° angle. The handle is marked: STANLEY.
William Ford Stanley (1829–1909) began making mathematical instruments in London in 1853. In his influential 1866 volume on the construction and use of drawing instruments, he called this form of drawing pen a "lifting-nib" or "jointed" pen. It was supposed to be easier to clean than a standard drawing pen. This example was probably made in the late 19th century.
References: William Ford Stanley, Mathematical Drawing and Measuring Instruments 6th ed. (London: E. & F. N. Spon, 1888), 12; T. Potter, "Aids and Accessories," Journal of the Society of Estate Clerks of Works 8, no. 3 (1895): 33–36; David M. Riches, "W. F. Stanley," Mathematical Instruments: A Private Collection, http://www.mathsinstruments.me.uk/page43.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
maker
Stanley, William Ford
ID Number
1978.2110.10
accession number
1978.2110
catalog number
336736

Bow Compass with Pen Point

This steel drawing compass has a hexagonal brass handle. The width of the instrument is adjusted with a small brass nut on the outside of the leg with the needle point. A second screw adjusts the width of the pen point.
Description
This steel drawing compass has a hexagonal brass handle. The width of the instrument is adjusted with a small brass nut on the outside of the leg with the needle point. A second screw adjusts the width of the pen point. This object resembles the bow compasses made by Stanley around 1860 that are depicted in Michael Scott Scott, Drawing Instruments (Haverfordwest, UK: Shire Publications Ltd., 1986), 10.
Reference: J. F. Heather, Mathematical Instruments: Their Construction, Adjustment, Testing, and Use, rev. ed. (London: Crosby Lockwood and Co., 1870), i:15–16.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1860
ID Number
1978.2110.11
catalog number
1978.2110.11
accession number
1978.2110
catalog number
336737

Routledge's Engineer Linear Slide Rule

This is a two-foot, two-fold boxwood rule with a brass hinge and endpieces. Half of one side is a slide rule with A and D scales on the base and B and C scales on the slide.
Description
This is a two-foot, two-fold boxwood rule with a brass hinge and endpieces. Half of one side is a slide rule with A and D scales on the base and B and C scales on the slide. As with MA.306697.01, the C scale is the same as the A and B scales (the square of the D scale), instead of the same as the D scale, as on modern Mannheim slide rules. Below the D scale is marked: SQUARE CYLINDER GLOBE (3 times) ROUTLEDGE'S ENGINEER.
The first three marks form headings for the tables on the other half of this side when the instrument is folded. The tables give conversion factors from the volumes of geometric solids to units of volume, in both the "old" and imperial systems; conversion factors from the volumes of geometric solids to the weights in pounds of various substances; the areas of polygons from 5 to 12 sides; the gauge points of a circle; and gauge points for pumping engines, to find the diameters of steam cylinders that will work pumps of specified diameter at 7 pounds per square inch.
The other side has a scale of 24 inches along one edge, divided to sixteenths of an inch for 9 inches and to eighths of an inch for the rest of the scale. There are also scales for making scale drawings that are 1, 3/4, 1/2, and 1/4 inches to the foot. This side is marked: T. ASTON THE ORIGINAL MAKER WARRANTED. One outside edge has scales for 10 and 12 parts to the inch; the other outside edge divides one foot into 100 parts.
This form of slide rule was invented by Joshua Routledge, a seller of iron goods, in 1808 or 1809. He discussed it in the 1813 (4th) edition of Instructions for the Engineer's Improved Sliding Rule. According to Gloria Clifton, there were two rule makers named Thomas Aston, presumably a father and son, who were in business at various addresses in Birmingham, England, from 1818 to 1862. The references to pre-imperial system units of measure suggest the rule might have been made shortly after the imperial system was adopted in 1824. This instrument was found in the home of Grace Speer, granddaughter of Alfred Speer (1823–1910), an inventor and wine merchant in Passaic, N.J.
References: John V. Knott, "Joshua Routledge 177[3]–1829," Journal of the Oughtred Society 4, no. 2 (1995): 25; Philip E. Stanley, "Carpenters' and Engineers' Slide Rules: Routledges' Rule," Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 37, no. 2 (1984): 25–27; Gloria Clifton, Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers (London: National Maritime Museum, 1995), 11–12; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1824-1862
maker
Aston, T.
ID Number
1981.0934.01
catalog number
1981.0934.01
accession number
1981.0934

Spectroscope

Brass spectroscope with six glass prisms, and an “A. Hilger London” inscription. Adam Hilger (1839-1897) was a precision instrument maker from Darmstadt who moved to London around 1870, and who established his own shop around 1875. The “J.B.
Description
Brass spectroscope with six glass prisms, and an “A. Hilger London” inscription. Adam Hilger (1839-1897) was a precision instrument maker from Darmstadt who moved to London around 1870, and who established his own shop around 1875. The “J.B. Stearns 1875” inscription probably refers to Joseph Barker Stearns (1831-1895), inventor of the duplex system of telegraphy, and probably the man who gave this instrument to Smith College. Located in Northampton, Mass. and opened in 1875, Smith College promised women students lectures and laboratories equal to those offered elsewhere to men.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1875
maker
Hilger, Adam
ID Number
1980.0098.01
catalog number
1980.0098.01
accession number
1980.0098

Four-Sided Gauger's Slide Rule by Cook

This is a twelve-inch, four-sided boxwood slide rule used in England for measuring and taxing barrels of liquid. Each of the four slides has a brass guide at one end, and the various special points on the rules are marked with inset brass pegs.
Description
This is a twelve-inch, four-sided boxwood slide rule used in England for measuring and taxing barrels of liquid. Each of the four slides has a brass guide at one end, and the various special points on the rules are marked with inset brass pegs. On one side, the base has a D scale, logarithmically divided from 1 to 3.2 and from 3.2 to 10. Point 18.789 is marked G, the circular gauge point, for determining the mean diameter of a barrel. Point 46.3 is marked MS, for the side of a square vessel that contains a solid bushel per inch of depth, and point 52.32 is marked MR, for the side of a square vessel that contains a malt bushel per inch of depth. The slide has two identical B scales, logarithmically divided from 1 to 10. Point 277.42 is marked G for the imperial gallon.
On the second side, the base has logarithmic scales that run from 1 to 8 and from 8 to 100. It is labeled SEGT ST (Segments Standing) at the top left and SS at the bottom right. The slide has two identical C scales, logarithmically divided from 1 to 9. This side was used to estimate the volume of a barrel that was standing vertically and partially filled. The back of the slide lists gauge points, divisors, and factors for circles for malt and for gall (another substance used in making alcoholic beverages) in circular and square containers.
On the third side, the base has an A scale, logarithmically divided from 1 to 10, and an MD (Malt Depth) scale that runs logarithmically in the opposite direction from somewhat less than 3 to 20. Point 2219 is marked B, for the number of cubic inches in a bushel under the imperial system of measurement, and point 277.42 is marked G, for the imperial gallon. The slide has two identical C scales, logarithmically divided from 1 to 9. The back of the slide has a scale of inches, a scale labeled SPH[EROI]D, and a scale labeled 2D VAR[IETY]. These scales are for determining the diameters of two different shapes of barrels. Underneath the slide is marked: COOK. MAKER TO THE HONBLE BOARD OF EXCISE. LATE WELLINGTON CROWN COURT SOHO LONDON NO 2950.
On the fourth side, the base has logarithmic scales that run from 0 to 4 and from 4 to 100. It is labeled SEGT LY (Segments Lying) at the top left and SL at the bottom right. The slide has two identical B scales, logarithmically divided from 1 to 9. Underneath the slide, points 3.9 and 99 are connected by a line marked with H.
The use of the Imperial system of units dates this slide rule to after 1824. It is of the style developed by Thomas Everard in 1683 and, at 12 inches, represents one of the two standard "pocket" sizes (the other was 9"). Laban Cook(e) succeeded Alexander Wellington (d. 1825) as a Maker to the English Board of Excise and remained in business until 1834. Compare to the older rule for gauging and ullage (the amount a container is lacking to be full), 319510.
References: D. Baxandall, Catalogue of the Collections in the Science Museum: Mathematics I. Calculating Machines and Instruments (London, 1926), 42; Colin Barnes, "The Customs and Excise Gauging Slide Rule," Journal of the Oughtred Society 4, no. 2 (1995): 53–57; Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 72, 245; Gloria Clifton, Dictionary of British Scientific Instrument Makers (London: National Maritime Museum, 1995), 64.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1825-1834
maker
Cook, Laban
ID Number
1980.0588.04
catalog number
1980.0588.04
accession number
1980.0588

Advertising Pamphlet for Otis King's Pocket Calculator

The cover of this eight-page pamphlet is blue and black. It reads: HOW THE (/) OTIS KING (/) SPIRAL (/) SLIDE RULE (/) SAVES TIME (/) AND MISTAKES (/) IN ALL (/) CALCULATIONS (/) SIMPLE (/) QUICK (/) ACCURATE.
Description
The cover of this eight-page pamphlet is blue and black. It reads: HOW THE (/) OTIS KING (/) SPIRAL (/) SLIDE RULE (/) SAVES TIME (/) AND MISTAKES (/) IN ALL (/) CALCULATIONS (/) SIMPLE (/) QUICK (/) ACCURATE. The text describes the features and advantages of the Otis King cylindrical slide rule. Drawings demonstrate the three steps required to make calculations with the instrument. The pamphlet also lists 13 sample problems the Otis King Pocket Calculator could solve, 37 companies that were major customers of the rule, and 50 professions that usefully employed the rule. The back page carries five anonymous testimonials.
This pamphlet arrived with 1981.0922.09 and 1981.0922.11. It is exactly the same as 1989.3049.04, except that it is not stamped with information about where the rule was purchased.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965-1970
maker
Carbic Limited
ID Number
1981.0922.10
accession number
1981.0922
catalog number
1981.0922.10

Diagonal Gauging Rod Signed J. Long

This boxwood rule has six cylindrical segments with brass ends that can be screwed together to form a total length of 60 inches. One scale on the object measures inches, divided to tenths of an inch. It was used to determine the length of the diagonal of a barrel.
Description
This boxwood rule has six cylindrical segments with brass ends that can be screwed together to form a total length of 60 inches. One scale on the object measures inches, divided to tenths of an inch. It was used to determine the length of the diagonal of a barrel. The second scale is proportionally divided and numbered from 1 to 400. The user compared the diagonal length in inches to this scale to determine the volume of the barrel in imperial gallons, a unit of measure adopted by the United Kingdom in 1824.
The fifth segment is marked: J. LONG MAKER 43 EASTCHEAP LONDON. The firm established by Joseph Long in 1821 continued to make hydrometers and other instruments after Long's death around 1846. From 1885 to 1936, the firm was located at 43 Eastcheap Street in London.
A leather pouch has pockets for each of the segments. The flap of the pouch is marked: W.
References: Jonathan Cape, A Course of Mathematics: Principally Designed for Students in the East India Company's Military College, 5th ed., vol. 1 (London, 1857), 561; Luke Hebert, The Engineer's and Mechanic's Encyclopedia, vol. 1 (London, 1886), 618–620; Gloria Clifton, Dictionary of British Scientific Instrument Makers (London: National Maritime Museum, 1995), 171–172.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1885–1936
maker
Long, Joseph
ID Number
1980.0588.05
accession number
1980.0588
catalog number
1980.0588.05

Instructions for Otis King's Pocket Calculator

This 16-page pamphlet was printed on light green paper by Carbic Limited, the London manufacturer of the cylindrical slide rule invented by Otis King. It is titled: The Otis King Calculator: Instructions for Use.
Description
This 16-page pamphlet was printed on light green paper by Carbic Limited, the London manufacturer of the cylindrical slide rule invented by Otis King. It is titled: The Otis King Calculator: Instructions for Use. This form of pamphlet is typically found with King Calculators manufactured later than those that sold with Carbic's eight-page pamphlet. (See 1987.0788.06.) Thus, it was printed no earlier than the late 1960s. This pamphlet did, though, appear before the pound sterling was decimalized in 1971.
An introduction to the instrument has been added, and explanations have been expanded for multiplication and division, logarithms, and understanding the scales. The further examples are nearly identical to those in the earlier form of instructions. The explanations of how to use the logarithmic capabilities of Model L are the same except that the word "unity" has been replaced by the number 1. Discussions of compound roots and approximation have been added, and the explanation of finding the decimal point is expanded.
Reference: Dick Lyon, "Otis King's Patent Calculator," http://www.svpal.org/~dickel/OK/OtisKing.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965-1970
maker
Carbic Limited
ID Number
1981.0922.11
accession number
1981.0922
catalog number
1981.0922.11

Telescope with Divided Glass Micrometer

This telescope has an achromatic objective of 2.75 inches aperture, brass tube with finder, several eyepieces, two telescoping braces, two control rods, a split objective micrometer, equatorial mount, and wooden tripod. The tube is 43.5 inches long.
Description
This telescope has an achromatic objective of 2.75 inches aperture, brass tube with finder, several eyepieces, two telescoping braces, two control rods, a split objective micrometer, equatorial mount, and wooden tripod. The tube is 43.5 inches long. The faceplate at the eye end is marked “DOLLOND * LONDON.” For storage, the telescope fits into a mahogany box with a hinged lid.
This seems to be an example of the brass telescope “of 3½ feet focal length, with an aperture of 2¾ inches, two eye tubes for Land Objects, and two tubes for Astronomical purposes” that George Dollond was offering in the 1830s. That instrument could be had with either a brass stand for use on a table, or “a mahogany folding stand, to be used on the Floor.” It could, moreover, be “supported in the centre of Gravity, and applied to a socket that may be turned to any latitude, so that the Telescope may have an Equatorial Motion” The complete outfit cost £50. The micrometer would be extra.
The Dollond family began working as opticians in London in 1750, and gained fame in 1758 when John Dollond introduced his design for achromatic lenses. John Dollond was also responsible for the split objective micrometer.
Ref: “A Description of a Contrivance for Measuring Small Angles, by Mr. John Dollond; Communicated by Mr. J. Short, F.R.S.,” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 48 (1753): 178-181.
“An Explanation of an Instrument for measuring small Angles, the first Account of which was read before the Royal Society May 10, 1753. By Mr. John Dollond,” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 48 (1754): 551-564.
George Dollond, A Catalogue of Optical, Mathematical, Philosophical Instruments (London, ca. 1830).
Gloria Clifton, “Dollond Family,” in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
probably 1760s
probably 1830s
maker
Dollond
ID Number
1979.1110.01
accession number
1979.1110
catalog number
1979.1110.01

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.
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 telescoping rule is ten inches long when extended and equivalent to a rectangular slide rule 66 feet in length. 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 engraved: MADE IN (/) Y9481 (/) ENGLAND.
Otis Carter Formby King invented this form of slide rule in 1921, and Carbic Limited of London, England, manufactured it until 1972. The serial number, Y9481, suggests a date about 1965–1969 for this example. A collector of computing devices donated it to the Smithsonian.
See also 1987.0788.01 and 1989.3049.02. For documentation, see 1981.0922.10 and 1981.0922.11.
References: Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 274, 281; Otis Carter Formby King, "Calculating Apparatus," (U.S. Patent 1,645,009 issued October 11, 1927); 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
ca 1965-1968
maker
Carbic Limited
ID Number
1981.0922.09
catalog number
1981.0922.09
accession number
1981.0922

Fuller's Spiral Cylindrical Slide Rule

This rule consists of an outer wooden cylinder that slides up and down and rotates. Two brass rings lined with felt are inside this cylinder.
Description
This rule consists of an outer wooden cylinder that slides up and down and rotates. Two brass rings lined with felt are inside this cylinder. The cylinder is covered with paper marked with a single spiral logarithmic scale graduated into 7250 parts and having a length, according to the maker, of 500 inches (nearly 42 feet). Inside the outer cylinder is a longer wooden cylinder, covered with paper marked with decimal, conversion, and sine tables. A solid mahogany handle is at one end. A third cylinder of brass is inside the instrument. A brass index is screwed to the top of the handle. A second, longer brass index is screwed to the mahogany base and marked with a scale of equal parts used in finding logarithms.
The tables on the middle cylinder include: decimal equivalents of feet and inches in feet; decimal equivalents of quarter weights and pounds in hundredweights; decimal equivalents of ounces and pounds in fractions of a pound; decimal equivalents of pounds, shillings, and pence in fractions of a pound; decimal equivalents of pence in shillings; days of the year as a fraction of the year; decimal equivalents of subunits of an acre; properties of various metals and woods; decimal equivalents of minutes of a degree in degrees; the Birmingham wire gauge; various conversion factors (mostly for weights and measures); and natural sines.
The outer, sliding cylinder is marked near the top: FULLERS SPIRAL SLIDE RULE. Near the bottom is marked: ENTD. STATS. HALL; STANLEY, Maker, LONDON. The bottom is stamped: 1099. The top of the long brass index is engraved: 1099 (/) 98. According to Wayne Feely, these numbers indicate the instrument has serial number 1099 and was made in 1898.
The rule is in a rectangular mahogany case marked in script on the top: Calculator. A blue sticker attached to the inside lid of the case reads: DRAWING MATERIAL (/) FRED. A. SCHMIDT. WASHINGTON D.C. (/) 516 (/) 9TH ST. (/) BRANCH (/) 1722 (/) PA. AVE. (/) TRADE MARK (beneath a drawing of intertwined dividers, right-angled ruler, and French curve). The inside of the lid is also stamped: MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN. A yellow rectangular label is printed: To H.M. Government Science & Art Depnt. Council of India, Admiralty, &c. (/) MADE BY (/) W. F. STANLEY, (/) Optical, Philosophical & Mathematical (/) INSTRUMENT MANUFACTURER, (/) ENGINE DIVIDER, &c. (/) MATHEMATICAL DEPARTMENT, GREAT TURNSTILE, HOLBORN, W.C.
George Fuller, professor of civil engineering at Queen's University in Belfast, Ireland, patented this instrument in 1878. The Stanley firm made about 14,000 Fuller's spiral slide rules over nearly one hundred years. According to Boyd's Directory of the District of Columbia, Fred A. Schmidt, vendor of draftsmen's supplies, moved from 504 9th Street N.W. to 516 9th Street, with a branch at 1722 Pennsylvania Avenue, between 1895 and 1900.
According to the donor, this example came from the family of her first husband, Fred Robert Troll (1920–1971), a sanitary engineer who attended Columbia University. The original purchaser may have been his father, Frank Troll, or his uncle, who was an artist who traveled frequently.
See also MA.311958, MA.316575, and MA.313751.
References: William Ford Stanley, Mathematical Drawing and Measuring Instruments, 6th ed. (London: E. & F. N. Spon, 1888), 248–249; W. F. Stanley, Surveying and Leveling Instruments, 3rd ed. (London, 1901), 542–543; Wayne E. Feely, "The Fuller Spiral Scale Slide Rule," Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50, no. 3 (1997): 93–98.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1898
maker
Stanley, William Ford
ID Number
1998.0046.01
catalog number
1998.0046.01
maker number
1008/98
accession number
1998.0046

Pantograph

This brass pantograph consists of four rods. These rods are marked near their ends as follows: B; D; [nothing]; C. The adjacent B and D rods are both marked with scales that range from 1-2 to 1 to 12.
Description
This brass pantograph consists of four rods. These rods are marked near their ends as follows: B; D; [nothing]; C. The adjacent B and D rods are both marked with scales that range from 1-2 to 1 to 12. There are screwed slides for them (one is loose in the case) which have holders for points. The C rod also has a round holder, but it does not slide. Two short brass rods (one a tracer point) fit in grooves in the lid. The pantograph moves over the paper on six ivory-colored wheels. No weight. No pencil point. A mark on one arm reads: G. Davis / Optician / LEEDS.
Compare MA.317868, MA.327891, MA.334888, and 2005.0182.8.
The inscription is that of Gabriel Davis, an optician in Leeds who was active from 1822 to 1847. While this pantograph was sold by Davis, it was probably made by Cary.
Reference:
Gloria Clifton, Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers 1550-1851, p. 78.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1822-1847
maker
Davis, Gabriel
ID Number
2005.0182.8
accession number
2005.0182
catalog number
2005.0182.8

Drawing Instrument on the Design of Henry Johnson, Volutor

This is a brass instrument for drawing spirals, particularly the Ionic capitals on columns drawn by architects. A horizontal brass beam is marked in inches. The inches are divided to thirty-seconds along one edge of the beam and tenths along another edge.
Description
This is a brass instrument for drawing spirals, particularly the Ionic capitals on columns drawn by architects. A horizontal brass beam is marked in inches. The inches are divided to thirty-seconds along one edge of the beam and tenths along another edge. At one end of the beam, near zero, is a holder for a pen or pencil points. Both points are in the case that houses the instrument. At the other end of the beam is a reel made of bone that is wound with string. A support that slides along the beam carries a brass framework with two small wheels. One end of the support also has a pointer that marks the center of the spiral. Atop this is one of four brass cones, a ceramic and brass vertical column, and a brass and bone handle. The thread from the spool winds around grooves in the cone. Turning the handle releases the thread and moves the pen or pencil point in a spiral.
Also included are two hollow brass pieces, a brass disc with a central hole, and a small, metal-lined wooden box. The box fits in a separate compartment. The entire instrument fits in a wooden case lined with green velvet. A mark on the object reads: The Volutor. (/) H. Johnson’s Patent (/) 1858.
Henry Johnson was a wine merchant in London. He invented not only the Volutor but a deep sea pressure gauge. Both were shown at the International Exposition held in London in 1862.
References:
William Joseph Booth, A Description of the Volutor..., London: Judd and Glass, 1859. According to this publication, Henry Johnson authorized F. Hoffmann of Clerkenwell to manufacture the Volutor. Booth read his paper at the 1858 meeting of the British Association in Leeds.
Joseph Booth, “On an Improved Instrument for Drawing Spirals,” British Association for the Advancement of Science Report of the Annual Meeting [for 1860] , 30, 1861, pp. 60-61.
London International Exposition, The Illustrated Catalogue of the Industrial Department..., London: Her Majesty’s Commissioners, 1862, 2, pp. 17-18.
Susan Piedmont-Palladino, Tools of the Imagination: Drawing tools and Technologies from the Eighteenth Century to the Present, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2006, pp. 16-17.
“Henry Johnson,” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 39 #4, February 14, 1879, p. 227.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1858
date made
ca 1860
ID Number
2004.0175.01
accession number
2004.0175
catalog number
2004.0175.01

English-Style Sector

This boxwood instrument has two rectangular arms with flat edges and is held together by a circular brass hinge that is heavily tarnished.
Description
This boxwood instrument has two rectangular arms with flat edges and is held together by a circular brass hinge that is heavily tarnished. According to the accession file, off-gassing from a celluloid rectangular military protractor received with the object in 1974 caused the damage before 1990. The scales run from top to bottom on each arm. On one side, each arm has a sine scale, running from 10 to 80 degrees; a tangent scale, running from 50 to 75 degrees; and a second tangent scale, running from 10 to 45 degrees. Spanning both arms on the outer edge are three scales: log tangent, running from 2 to 45 degrees; log sine, running from 1 to 70 degrees; and logarithmic numbers, running from 1 to 10 twice. The top face of the instrument has a scale of equal parts that divides one foot into 100 increments and runs from 90 to 10. There is no maker's mark.
The other side has a double scale along the fold line for regular polygons, labeled POL and running from 12 to 4 sides. Each arm has a scale of equal parts, running from 1 to 10 and labeled L; a secant scale, running from 40 to 75 and labeled s; and a scale of chords, running from 10 to 60 and labeled C. The scales for dialing typically found on 18th-century English-style sectors are not present. Spanning both arms on the outer edge is a scale of inches, running from 12 to 1 and divided to tenths of an inch.
This object likely dates to the 19th century. Like ivory sectors from the time period, such as MA.321755, this instrument has small brass pegs embedded into the scales at frequently-used points, in order to protect the soft wood from metal dividers digging into the surface. In part because they were less expensive to produce, instrument makers probably made a larger number of pocket-sized wooden sectors than ivory sectors to place in cases of drawing instruments. However, since the material is not as durable as ivory, fewer examples of these objects survived.
References: Thomas Kentish, A Treatise on a Box of Instruments and the Slide Rule (London: Relfe & Fletcher, 1847), 39–61; Nathan Zeldes, "Ivory Sector," History of Computing, http://www.nzeldes.com/HOC/Sector.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
ID Number
1993.0280.01
accession number
1993.0280
catalog number
1993.0280.01

English-Style Sector Signed by Richard Glynne

This brass instrument has straight ends, and the hinge is decorated with a floral design. A rectangular brass piece fits between the arms when the sector is closed and swivels out to form a square corner when the sector is opened.
Description
This brass instrument has straight ends, and the hinge is decorated with a floral design. A rectangular brass piece fits between the arms when the sector is closed and swivels out to form a square corner when the sector is opened. The piece also fits into the groove on the other arm to hold the sector open at a fixed acute angle. One side has three double scales. Two are tangent scales, running from 45 to 75 degrees and from 10 to 45 degrees. The third is a sine scale, running from 10 to 90 degrees. The top of the upper arm has scales for hours, running from I to VI, and for chords, running from 10 to 90. The bottom of the lower arm has scales labeled "Latt" and "In : M." Both scales run from 10 to 90. These four scales were used for making sundials and are unique to sectors made in England. The sector is marked: R : Glynne : Fecit.
The other side has double scales labeled "Poll," running from 6 to 12; "sec," running from 20 to 75; "Lin," running from 2 to 10 on the upper arm and from 1 to 10 on the lower arm; and "Cho," running from 10 to 60. The "Poll" scale is not the usual scale for the side length of inscribed polygons, as the numbers start with 6 rather than with 3 and increase from the center to the ends of the legs instead of decreasing. The scale of chords is outside the scale of equally divided lines on the upper arm and inside the scale of equally divided lines on the lower arm. Three logarithmic scales are along the outer edge: "Tan," running from 1 to 45; "Sim" [sic], running from 1 to 80 (which is marked "60"); and "Num," running from 1 to 10 twice and then from 10 to 30. The outside face of the rule has a scale of inches that runs from 1 to 12 and is divided to tenths of an inch.
The London workshop operated by Richard Glynne (1681–1755) made globes, sundials, and drawing instruments. Glynne was in partnership with Anne Lea, his mother-in-law, from about 1712 to 1725, and he became so successful that he retired in 1729. For a sundial signed by Henry Wynne, under whom Glynne apprenticed from 1696 to 1705, see 1987.0851.01.
References: Adler Planetarium, Webster Signature Database, http://historydb.adlerplanetarium.org/signatures/; E. G. R. Taylor, The Mathematical Practitioners of Tudor & Stuart England (Cambridge: University Press, 1970), 293; Gloria Clifton, Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers 1550–1851 (London: National Maritime Museum, 1995); Bruce Babcock, "A Guided Tour of an 18th-Century Carpenter's Rule," Journal of the Oughtred Society 3, no. 1 (1994): 26–34.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1712-1729
maker
Glynne, Richard
ID Number
1990.0572.01
accession number
1990.0572
catalog number
1990.0572.01

Telescope (Gregorian)

Small brass reflector mounted on a simple pillar that is attached to a wooden box. There is a short focusing rod and two open sights for sighting distant objects. The aperture is 2 inches, the tube is 9.5 inches long, and the focus is 7 inches.
Description
Small brass reflector mounted on a simple pillar that is attached to a wooden box. There is a short focusing rod and two open sights for sighting distant objects. The aperture is 2 inches, the tube is 9.5 inches long, and the focus is 7 inches. The “JAMES SHORT LONDON J744 37/405 = 7” inscription on the eye-plate indicates that this telescope was made in 1744, it has a 7-inch focus, it was Short’s 405th telescope overall, and it was his 37th telescope of this size. It came to the Museum from the Burndy Library, through Bern Dibner.
James Short (1710-1768) began making reflecting telescopes while studying at the University of Edinburgh. He was elected F.R.S. in 1836, moved to London in 1738, and made some 1360 telescopes overall. In addition to his skill at figuring and polishing mirrors, his commercial success came from his use of the division of labor (he concentrated on the mirrors and bought the brass parts from others), a growing demand for telescopes, and the support of patrons.
Ref: D. J. Bryden, James Short and His Telescopes (Edinburgh, 1968).
Gerard L’E Turner, “James Short, F.R.S., and his Contribution to the Construction of Reflecting Telescopes,” Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London 24 (1969): 91-108.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1744
maker
Short, James
ID Number
2005.0182.4
accession number
2005.0182
catalog number
2005.0182.4

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.