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.

Date: 1960s

Pickett N3-ES Duplex Slide Rule

This ten-inch aluminum duplex linear slide rule is coated with Pickett's distinctive "eye saver" yellow coloring. The magnifying indicator is made of nylon (the "N" in the model number) with white plastic sides.
Description
This ten-inch aluminum duplex linear slide rule is coated with Pickett's distinctive "eye saver" yellow coloring. The magnifying indicator is made of nylon (the "N" in the model number) with white plastic sides. The front top of the base has two extended square root scales and K and A scales. The front bottom of the base has D, DI, and three extended cube root scales. The front of the slide has B, ST, S, two extended T, CI, and C scales. The left of the slide is marked: PickETT (/) MODEL N 3-ES (/) POWER LOG EXPONENTIAL (/) LOG LOG DUAL BASE. The right of the slide is marked: ALL METAL (/) SLIDE RULES (/) PickETT (/) MADE IN U.S.A. The red printing on the front of the rule has faded considerably.
The back top of the base has LL0, LL1, and DF scales. The back bottom of the base has D, LL2, and LL3 scales. The back of the slide has CF, CIF, Ln, L, CI, and C scales. The left of the slide is marked: COPYRIGHT 1960© (/) PATENT APPLIED FOR. The right of the slide bears the third Pickett logo on the instrument. The burgundy leather case is partially lined with blue velvet to protect the magnifier and has another logo (in gold) below the slot for the case's flap. The back of the case has a ring on the back for a belt strap, but the strap is missing.
This example of Model N3 was owned and used by the mathematician and theoretical computer scientist, Harley Flanders. It is identical to 1980.0097.01 except for its color and magnifying indicator. Pickett switched from glass to nylon indicators in 1958 and used this logo from 1964 to 1975. Pickett also moved from Alhambra, Calif., to Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1964. The mention on the instrument of a patent application may refer to a patent for a case issued to John W. Pickett in 1960. Pickett was the son of company founder Ross C. Pickett and served as president from 1957 to 1967. For early company history, see 1979.0601.02.
References: Peter M. Hopp, "Slide Rule Scales," Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 285–287; International Slide Rule Museum, "Pickett All-Metal Slide Rules," http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm#Pickett; John W. Pickett, "Slide Rule Case" (U.S. Patent D187,632 issued April 5, 1960).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965
date received
2009
user
Flanders, Harley
maker
Pickett Industries
ID Number
2009.0019.01
accession number
2009.0019
catalog number
2009.0019.01

Keuffel and Esser Deci-Lon Slide Rule

This Keuffel and Esser Deci-Lon slide rule is a model 68 1100 with 10-inch scales. The rule is made of a shatterproof synthetic material while the indicator is made of clear plastic with metal edges. Markings are in red and black.
Description
This Keuffel and Esser Deci-Lon slide rule is a model 68 1100 with 10-inch scales. The rule is made of a shatterproof synthetic material while the indicator is made of clear plastic with metal edges. Markings are in red and black. The front face is printed with 13 scales: Sq1, Sq2, DF, CF, CIF, L, CI, C, D, Ln0, Ln1, Ln2, Ln3. The reverse face is also printed with 13 scales: Ln-3, Ln-2, Ln-1, Ln-0, A, B, T, SRT, S, C, D, DI, and K scales. Printed on the reverse face and located on the right side of the lower rail is the serial number 178687 and located on the left-side of the center rail, made in U.S.A. When not in use, it is stored in an orange, stitched leather case with belt carrier. An imprint of the donor’s last name can be detected on the front of the case under the model name.
The donor purchased this slide rule from the Cornell University bookstore in September 1969. He used it in his coursework for physics engineering as well as nuclear engineering. After earning a master’s degree in nuclear engineering, he served for 42 years in the U.S. Navy.
References:
http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KECatalogs/1962/1962kecatp10.htm
http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KECatalogs/1967/1967kecatp12.htm
http://www.sliderules.info/collection/10inch/020/1025-decilon.htm
Accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1969
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
2018.0283.02
accession number
2018.0283
catalog number
2018.0283.02

Russian Circular Slide Rule

This circular slide rule is the size of a pocket watch. It has a metal band around the edge and glass cover on the front and back. Each side of the rule has a pointer pivoted at the center, with its motion controlled by a knob along the edge.
Description
This circular slide rule is the size of a pocket watch. It has a metal band around the edge and glass cover on the front and back. Each side of the rule has a pointer pivoted at the center, with its motion controlled by a knob along the edge. On one side, the outer edge is divided logarithmically from 1 to 100 and the inner edge from 1 to 10. Rotating the pivot allows one to find squares and square roots of numbers. The other side has a spiral scale on the inside that runs from 1 to 54 and appears to allow one to find tangents on the outer edge. It appears to have a scale of sines on the outside. The marks are in Russian.
A paper sheet of instructions accompanies the slide rule. The rule fits in a cardboard box.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1967
ID Number
2014.0136.01
accession number
2014.0136
catalog number
2014.0136.01

Faber-Castell 111/54 Linear Slide Rule

This white plastic German slide rule has a clear plastic cursor. Scales 25 cm. long are on the front of the base of the rule and on both sides of the slide. The slides on the rule are K, A, B, P, S, and T.
Description
This white plastic German slide rule has a clear plastic cursor. Scales 25 cm. long are on the front of the base of the rule and on both sides of the slide. The slides on the rule are K, A, B, P, S, and T. Those on the slide are B, BI, CI and C on the front and LL1, LL2, and LL3 on the back. The beveled top edge has a scale of equal parts divided to tenths of a centimeter, 27 centimeters long. The front of the instrument has an L scale. The back has a set of tables of use in mathematics, mechanics, and electronics.
The scale fits in a plastic case that is transparent on top and green on the bottom. Also included is a manual by Faber-Castell entitled "Anleitung Castell Praezisions-Rechenstaebe fuer Maschinen und Elektro-Ingenieure." This manual describes the Castell models 1/54, 4/54, 67/54 b, 67/54 R, 111/54, and 111/54 A. The only three of these with scales 25 cm. long are the 1/54, the 111/54, and the 111/54 A. None of the rules described in the booklet has a BI scale.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965
ID Number
2014.0136.02
accession number
2014.0136
catalog number
2014.0136.02

Keuffel & Esser 68-2047 Log Log Duplex Decitrig Slide Rule

This ten-inch mahogany duplex slide rule is coated with white celluloid. There are LL02, LL03, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales on one side of the base, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The right side of the slide is marked in red: © (/) K + E.
Description
This ten-inch mahogany duplex slide rule is coated with white celluloid. There are LL02, LL03, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales on one side of the base, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The right side of the slide is marked in red: © (/) K + E. On the other side of the base, there are LL01, L, K, A, D, DI, and LL1 scales, with B, T, ST, and S scales on the slide. The left end of the slide is marked: 410923. The left end of the top and the bottom of the base are both marked: 923. The indicator is glass, with white plastic edges held together with metal screws. Keuffel & Esser used this arrangement of scales from 1954 to 1962.
The top edge of the rule is marked: PATS. PEND. MADE IN U.S.A. 4080-3 LOG LOG DUPLEX TRIG ® COPYRIGHT 1947 BY KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. PATS. 2,500,460 2,168,056 2,170,144 2,285,722 2,422,649. These patents were issued between 1939 and 1950. They dealt with the arrangement of scales on a slide rule, in particular so that the user could solve multistep problems without having to write down intermediate settings, and with the placement of a legend to make placing the decimal point easier.
The rule fits into an orange leather case lined with chamois, which is marked on the flap: K + E. The case fits inside a green cardboard box, which has been completely wrapped in masking tape. See 2007.0181.01.01 for documentation received in the box. A label on the end of the box is marked: K + E (/) 68 1215 (/) LOG LOG DUPLEX DECITRIG (/) SLIDE RULE (/) WITH LEATHER CASE. The label is also marked: OLD (/) 4081-3S. The S indicates the sewn leather case. K&E's model 4081 differed from the 4080 in that the trigonometric scales were given in degrees and decimals of a degree instead of in degrees and minutes. In 1962, the model numbers were changed and given the prefix "68," and the ST scale was changed to an SRT scale. The 4080 with a sewn leather case would have been model 68-1318 in the new system. Thus, the rule was made before 1962 and the box was made after 1962. The serial number on the rule is consistent with a manufacturing date in the late 1950s.
The donor, Marvin Coolidge, reported that he purchased this rule in the fall of 1963 for use in a one-year slide rule course during college. He subsequently enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he was trained in electronics repair, a field that did not require use of this slide rule.
References: 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); Lyman M. Kells, Willis F. Kern, and James R. Bland, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,285,722 issued June 9, 1942); James R. Bland, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,422,649 issued June 17, 1947); Herschel Hunt, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,500,460 issued March 14, 1950); K + E Catalog, 42nd ed. (New York: Keuffel & Esser Co., 1954), 279; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules, Catalog 8 (Hoboken, N.J., 1962), 8-17; Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4081-3 Family of Slide Rules: 4080-3 & 4081-3 Family Groups," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4081-3family.htm; 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.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1954-1962
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
2007.0181.01
accession number
2007.0181
catalog number
2007.0181.01

Game, Concentration Wildlife Edition

This "entertaining and approved educational game" consists of forty playing cards. Each card has a drawing of a plant or animal on it, with appropriate background. Instructions describe playing the game and give information about the wildlife shown.
Description
This "entertaining and approved educational game" consists of forty playing cards. Each card has a drawing of a plant or animal on it, with appropriate background. Instructions describe playing the game and give information about the wildlife shown. The cards and instructions are in a box. One card has a back that is a different color than the others.
The mathematician Olive C. Hazlett once owned this game. For related objects, see 1998.0314 and 2015.3004.
According to Dan Gifford, former archivist at the National Wildlife Foundation, the cards date from about 1959 (when the character Rick the Racoon (later called Ranger Rick) that is shown on the back of the cards was introduced) to 1961.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1959-1961
ca 1959-1961
maker
National Wildlife Federation
ID Number
2015.0027.08
accession number
2015.0027
catalog number
2015.0027.08

Instructions for Otis King's Pocket Calculator

This trifold pamphlet reprints the text found in 1987.0788.06, except for the section on [Pounds] Sterling Calculations, which is omitted. The columns of text are also laid out slightly differently, so that the page length is shortened from eight pages to six.
Description
This trifold pamphlet reprints the text found in 1987.0788.06, except for the section on [Pounds] Sterling Calculations, which is omitted. The columns of text are also laid out slightly differently, so that the page length is shortened from eight pages to six. These instructions accompanied 1989.3049.02. See also 1989.3049.04.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965-1968
maker
Carbic Limited
ID Number
1989.3049.03
nonaccession number
1989.3054
catalog number
1989.3054.01

Pamphlet, Trigonometry Tables and Involute Functions

In the mid-twentieth century, American tool manufacturers sometimes distributed trigonometry tables that included advertisements for their products.
Description
In the mid-twentieth century, American tool manufacturers sometimes distributed trigonometry tables that included advertisements for their products. This small paper pamphlet includes definitions of the sine, cosine, tangent, cotangent, secant, and cosecant as well as formulas for finding the length of sides for right-angled and oblique triangles when different angles and sides are known. It then gives tables to five places of values of the six trigonometric functions mentioned, as well as a table of decimal equivalents. In addition to this material, the pamphlet has a section on involute functions that includes tables and formulas for spur and helical gears.
Also shown are precision metal cutting tools manufactured by Illinois Tool and Instrument, a division of Illinois Tool Works, Inc.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1969
maker
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
ID Number
1989.3123.02
catalog number
1989.3123.02
nonaccession number
1989.3123

Pickett N515-T Duplex Slide Rule for Electronics

This ten-inch white aluminum linear slide rule has a nylon cursor. (The N in the model number is for "nylon," and the T denotes the rule's "traditional" white color.) The rule is held together with stamped aluminum contoured posts.
Description
This ten-inch white aluminum linear slide rule has a nylon cursor. (The N in the model number is for "nylon," and the T denotes the rule's "traditional" white color.) The rule is held together with stamped aluminum contoured posts. The front of the base has (Lr) H, (fx)2Π, A, D, L, and Ln scales. The front of the slide has (Cr) B, S, T, CI, and C scales. The left end of the slide is marked (facing vertically): ELECTRONIC (/) MODEL N-515-T. A gray Pickett logo in the style used between 1958 and 1962 is at the right end. The number 349 is printed above the logo.
The back of the rule contains various formulae relating to electronics, such as temperature conversion, Ohm's Law for AC and DC circuits, parallel resistance, coupled inductance, and efficiency. Short (approximately 2.5 inches) scales on the slide are used with the reactance and resonance decimal point located at the left end of the rule. A logo at the right end of the slide has an i superimposed on a C, superimposed on a book, superimposed on an atom. The number 340 is to the right of the logo and above a registered trademark symbol.
There is a red-orange leather case lined in gray plastic. A faded Pickett logo in the style used between 1958 and 1962 is below the slot for the flap. The front of the case is also stamped: CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONICS and has a yellow label marked: URIE. The back of the case has a metal ring, leather strap, and metal clasp for attaching to a belt.
The lower right corner of the back of the rule is marked: CLEVELAND INSTITUTE (/) OF ELECTRONICS (/) CLEVELAND, OHIO 44114 (/) PATENT NO. 3,120,342 (/) MADE IN U.S.A. The Cleveland Institute of Electronics worked with Pickett & Eckel, Inc., to develop this slide rule. In 1958, Darrell L. Geiger, an instructor at the Cleveland Institute, applied for a patent for a slide rule useful in calculations relating to electronics. Patent 3,120,342 was granted in 1964 and incorporated into the Pickett Model N-515 slide rule. Since the logo on the instrument was only used until 1962, it seems likely that this rule was made soon after the patent was issued.
Geiger wrote about a dozen instructional booklets on electronics and elementary mathematics in the 1950s and 1960s. The Cleveland Institute, a distance education institution, utilized programmed learning in the 1950s.
References: Darrell L. Geiger, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 3,120,342 issued February 4, 1964); Darrell L. Geiger, Electronics and Your Slide Rule (Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Institute of Electronics, 1962); Rodger Shepherd, "Pickett Metal Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 1, no. 1 (1992): 5–8; Brian Borchers, "Five Pickett Electronics Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 11, no. 2 (2002): 4–7; Cleveland Institute of Electronics, "New . . . Electronics Slide Rule with Four-Lesson Auto-Programmed Instruction Course," (Cleveland, Ohio, [1969]), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Pickett/Pickett_N515-T_Electronic_CIE_Pamphlet.pdf.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1964
maker
Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated
ID Number
1990.0154.01
accession number
1990.0154
catalog number
1990.0154.01

RapiDesign 19 Drawing Template

This clear yellowish plastic rectangular template has a five-inch scale divided to sixteenths of an inch across the top and one divided to tenths of an inch along the bottom.
Description
This clear yellowish plastic rectangular template has a five-inch scale divided to sixteenths of an inch across the top and one divided to tenths of an inch along the bottom. The interior has openings in the shape of circles, hexagons, squares, and triangles with diameters of 1/2, 7/16, 3/8, 11/32, 5/16, 9/32, 1/4, 7/32, 3/16, 5/32, 1/8, and 3/32 inches. A mark on the template reads: RAPIDESIGN No. 19. Another mark reads: SKETCH MATE.
A pen mark on the paper envelope reads: 3914-49. Another one reads: $1. A stamp on the envelope reads: RUTH LUTZ COMPANY (/) 540 Volusia Avenue (/) DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA (/) PHONE: 253-3691. The Ruth Lutz Company was founded in 1946 and in business in Daytona Beach in 1965 at the address and telephone number given on the envelope.
A version of this template was available in 2016 from art suppliers as the RapiDesign Sketch Mate R-19 with $14.35 as the list price.
References:
[Advertisement], The Jetstream: Official Newspaper of the Student Body of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Institute, vol. 1, issue 4, August 5, 1965, p. 6.
Art Supply Warehouse web page, accessed October 17, 2016.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1960
maker
RapiDesign, Inc.
ID Number
1992.0433.06
accession number
1992.0433
catalog number
1992.0433.06

Psychological Test, Strong Vocational Interest Blank for Men. Form T399

A new revision of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank began before Edward K. Strong’s death in 1963. This 1966 form of the test for men has as coauthors Strong, David P. Campbell (b. 1934), Ralph F. Berdie (1916-1974), and Kenneth E. Clark (1914-2000). Campbell received B.S.
Description
A new revision of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank began before Edward K. Strong’s death in 1963. This 1966 form of the test for men has as coauthors Strong, David P. Campbell (b. 1934), Ralph F. Berdie (1916-1974), and Kenneth E. Clark (1914-2000). Campbell received B.S. (1955) and M.S. (1958) degrees in statistics from Iowa State University and a PhD. in psychology from the University of Minnesota (1960). He spent some years on the faculty of the University of Minnesota, leaving to join the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1974. Berdie, Strong’s son-in-law, obtained a B.A. (1938), M.A. (1939) and PhD. (1942) from the University of Minnesota; and spent most of his career at the Student Counseling Bureau there. Clark received his B.S. (1935), M.A. (1937) and PhD. (1940) from Ohio State University. He then moved to the University of Minnesota, where he had a variety of faculty and administrative positions until moving to the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado in 1961 and then to the University of Rochester until his retirement in 1980. At that time, he became head of the Center for Creative Leadership.
Compare 1990.0034.081 and 1983.0168.08.
References:
American Psychological Association, 1962 Directory, ed. James Q. Holsopple, Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 1962, p. 52, 125.
Campbell, David, “The 1966 Revision of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank,” The Personnel and Guidance Journal, 1966, 44, pp. 744-750.
Campbell, David, “The Life and Work of Kenneth E. Clark, Ph.D.,” American Psychologist, 2002.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966
maker
Campbell, D. P.
Berdie, Ralph F.
Clark, K. E.
Strong, E. K.
ID Number
1990.0034.081
accession number
1990.0034
catalog number
1990.0034.081

Termatrex Card Punch

This "drill" punched cards for the Termatrex, an optical data storage and retrieval system designed in the mid-20th century as a less expensive alternative to contemporary computers. Each card in the system represented a characteristic used to describe items of interest.
Description
This "drill" punched cards for the Termatrex, an optical data storage and retrieval system designed in the mid-20th century as a less expensive alternative to contemporary computers. Each card in the system represented a characteristic used to describe items of interest. Each item had an assigned position on a group of cards. If it had the characteristic represented by the card, a hole was drilled at the appropriate position. Lining up cards associated with one group of objects and placing them on a card reader, holes transmitting light corresponded to those objects in the group with all the characteristics of interest.
This particular Termatrex system was used at the Smithsonian’s Conservation Analytical Laboratory to retrieve treatment reports. Cards represented such characteristics as materials, treatment techniques, and methods of inspection. A different set of cards indexed the reprint file of literature on conservation.
The Dutch-born engineer Frederick Jonker (1919–2002) developed the Termatrex system in his basement in the mid-1950s. He formed Jonker Business Machines in 1960, and sold this system to the Smithsonian Institution in 1969. After the company went bankrupt in 1969, REMAC International Corporation took over distribution and maintenance. The Termatrex remained in use at CAL until 1986, when it was replaced by microcomputers.
The card punch has a metal base painted white and an outer case painted green. A cylindrical housing in the center holds the punch. Two wheels on the right front rotate to move the mechanism horizontally, either from side to side (the top wheel) or from front to back (the bottom wheel). A black plastic tray below the mechanism holds the card to be punched. A plastic sticker across the front of the machine reads: TERMATREX. A tag attached to the back reads: MODEL NO. 301 SERIAL NO. 364. A mark stamped on the bottom of the base reads: D-001237-1
For the card reader and card rack, see 1993.0132.02 and 1993.0132.02. For related documentation, see 1993.3065.
References:
F. Jonker, "Selection Method and Apparatus for Indexing Documents and the Like with Extreme Rapidity," U.S. Patent 3,092,113, June 4, 1963.
F. Jonker, "Integration of Superimposable Cards," U.S. Patent 3,162,468, December 22, 1964.
F. Jonker, "Printing of Superimposable Card systems," U.S. Patent 3,171,021, February 23, 1965.
F. C. Porter, "New Departure in Data Retrieval," The Washington Post, March 18, 1960, p. B4.
R. J. Samuelson, "Jonker Corp. Files for Bankruptcy," The Washington Post, December 16, 1969, p. D7.
Accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1969
maker
Jonker Business Machines, Inc.
ID Number
1993.0132.01
catalog number
1993.0132.01
accession number
1993.0132

IBM Port-a-Punch Card Punch

From 1958, IBM Corporation sold portable, stylus-operated card punches like this one to prepare the cards used in data processing equipment.The tan instrument consists of a plastic frame that holds 13 long plastic rectangles along its length.
Description
From 1958, IBM Corporation sold portable, stylus-operated card punches like this one to prepare the cards used in data processing equipment.
The tan instrument consists of a plastic frame that holds 13 long plastic rectangles along its length. A transparent plastic template which has an array of evenly spaced holes fits over the rectangles, and cards are placed over this. A plastic stylus with a metal point punches holes. The object and a card with instructions fit in a cardboard box. A mark on the punch reads: IBM PORT-A-PUNCH. A mark on the end of the box reads: International Business Machines Corporation [/] Part No. 456861.
Card 1990.0113.04 (an IBM D10687 punch card) was designed for use with this card punch.
The materials in this accession were used to reduce data accumulated in Robert A. McConnell’s research on parapsychology.
References:
Accession file.
Web site of the IBM Archives, accessed October 16, 2012.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1960s
maker
IBM
ID Number
1990.0113.02
catalog number
1990.0113.02
accession number
1990.0113

Termatrex Card Rack with Punch Cards

This green vertical file holds five groups of plastic cards with cards colored differently in each group. A small tab is attached to the top of each card. A mark on the bottom of one card reads: TERMATREX SYSTEMS R (/) RANDOM NUMERIC CARD (/) RE-ORDER NO. RN-TC-1000.
Description
This green vertical file holds five groups of plastic cards with cards colored differently in each group. A small tab is attached to the top of each card. A mark on the bottom of one card reads: TERMATREX SYSTEMS R (/) RANDOM NUMERIC CARD (/) RE-ORDER NO. RN-TC-1000. A mark on another card reads: c 1960 JONKER Corporation (/) GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND (/) PRINTED IN U.S.A. A mark on the rack reads: JONKER.
For a description of the Termatrex data retrieval system, with references, see 1993.0132.01. For a card reader, see 1993.0132.02. For documentation, see 1993.3065.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1969
maker
Jonker Business Machines, Inc.
ID Number
1993.0132.03
catalog number
1993.0132.03
accession number
1993.0132

Drawing Template

This clear plastic template contains five circles, a rectangle, a square, a parallelogram, and two triangles, along with thirteen pieces of chemical apparatus.By the 1920s, students studying chemistry in American colleges and universities were expected to keep detailed laboratory
Description
This clear plastic template contains five circles, a rectangle, a square, a parallelogram, and two triangles, along with thirteen pieces of chemical apparatus.
By the 1920s, students studying chemistry in American colleges and universities were expected to keep detailed laboratory notebooks. To help them in this endeavor, laboratory apparatus firms such as Eimer and Amend in New York, as well as CENCO, E.H. Sargent & Co., and W.H. Welch Company (all of Chicago) sold stencils with cutouts in the shape of chemical apparatus. All of these firms sold a stencil that shows the chemical apparatus on this object and the five circles. These stencils were cut off on one side (hence in the shape of trapezoids and not a rectangle) to assist in drawing bent delivery tubes. This eliminated the triangles, square, parallelogram, and rectangle on this instrument.
A template precisely like this one is found in a 1967 catalog of the C-Thru Ruler Company of Bloomfield, Connecticut. Called a “chemistry and math stencil,” it sold for $1.80 a dozen. That catalog also contains a “chemistry stencil” like – but not identical to – those found in the earlier catalogs of chemical supply companies.
The donor presented this object along with a set of drawing instruments by Dietzgen, although the template is not by Dietzgen. The gift was given in memory of his father, Edward Bradley Morrison, and in honor of his son, Joshua Bradley Morrison. The donor had been told that his uncle got the set from a friend who assisted with the restoration of the U.S.S. Constitution; the uncle then gave the set to the donor's father for use in his college studies.
References:
Central Scientific Company, Catalog, Chicago. No stencil with chemical symbols is shown in the May 1909 catalog. One does appear in the 1912 catalog reprinted in 1914, as the #532. From 1919 until 1927 it sold as the model 12790. By 1936 through at least 1960 it was the #18800.
E. H. Sargent & Company, Catalog, Chicago, 1929, p. 721. It showed a “Novic” stencil like those shown by CENCO, Eimar & Amernd, and Welch.
Eimar and Amend, Catalog AA, New York, 1920, p. 515. It too shows a “Novic” stencil.
William M. Welch Catalog, Chicago. A stencil with chemical symbols appeared as model #303 in catalogs from at least 1922 through 1949.
C-Thru Ruler Company, General Catalogue, Bloomfield, Connecticut, 1967, p. 11. This template was model no. 350. C-ThruRuler Company was founded in 1939.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1960
ca 1920
maker
C-Thru Ruler Company
ID Number
1991.0811.02
accession number
1991.0811
catalog number
1991.0811.02

Pamphlet, How to Use the N 16 Electrolog Slide Rule

Slide rule manufacturer Pickett published this fifty-nine page booklet to explain the use of its “electronic” slide rule, especially designed for circuit analysis. The model number is N 16.
Description
Slide rule manufacturer Pickett published this fifty-nine page booklet to explain the use of its “electronic” slide rule, especially designed for circuit analysis. The model number is N 16. No date is given on the booklet.
For related transactions, see 1978.2239 and 1978.3551.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1964
maker
Pickett Industries
ID Number
1995.3023.03
catalog number
1995.3023.03
nonaccession number
1995.3023

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. 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 and is stamped in blue ink with the address of the instrument's U.S. distributor: CALCULATOR COMPANY (/) BOX 593 (/) LAKEWOOD, CALIFORNIA 90714.
This pamphlet arrived with 1989.3049.02. See also 1989.3049.03.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965-1968
maker
Carbic Limited
ID Number
1989.3049.04
nonaccession number
1989.3049
catalog number
1989.3049.04

IBM X-20-8020 Flowcharting Template

This rectangular blue-green flowcharting templatet has a scale of inches divided to tenths at the top and a scale of inches divided to eighths at the bottom. Twenty-five holes representing various logical operations are cut in the plastic.
Description
This rectangular blue-green flowcharting templatet has a scale of inches divided to tenths at the top and a scale of inches divided to eighths at the bottom. Twenty-five holes representing various logical operations are cut in the plastic. A white paper sleeve has definitions of the symbols on it. The device is meant for use in conjunction with a worksheet with IBM number X20-8021. A mark on the object reads: IBM FLOWCHARTING TEMPLATE FORM X20-8020. A mark on the envelope reads in part: Have you considered using IBM’s System/360 Flowchart (/) Program? The IBM System/360 was announced in 1964 and sold from 1965. The donor of this template, Terry M. Sachs, was trained to program the IBM System/360.
Reference:
IBM, IBM Data Processing Techniques - Flowcharting Techniques, White Plains, NY: IBM, ca 1963.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965
maker
IBM
ID Number
1995.3023.01
nonaccession number
1995.3023
catalog number
1995.3023.01

Dalton E-6B Dead Reckoning Computer by Jeppesen

In this instrument a white rectangular plastic sheet slides between two white discs that are held together with black plastic bars and metal grommets.
Description
In this instrument a white rectangular plastic sheet slides between two white discs that are held together with black plastic bars and metal grommets. The sheet is marked in green on both sides, with a polar grid and rectangular grid on one side and a polar grid on the other side. The front disc has scales for altitude computations at the top and for air speed computations at the bottom. The back disc has a scale to correct direction readings for wind and a scale for converting temperature readings from degrees Centigrade to Fahrenheit. The center of the back disc is clear for viewing the grid. A salmon plastic sheath stores the instrument.
The device is marked on the front: DALTON DEAD RECKONING COMPUTER (/) TYPE E-6B. It also is marked: WEEMS SYSTEM OF NAVIGATION (/) (A DIVISION OF JEPPESEN & CO.) (/) DENVER, COLORADO; PAT. NO. 2,097,118. The grid is marked in pencil: FL[IGH]T OFF COURSE (/) 2 MILES/SQUARE. The back of the disc is also marked in pencil. The three lines in the clear part of the disc are illegible, but below the temperature conversion scale, the marks read: 3.5° F/1000'. A ring at the top of one black plastic bar is marked: U.S. PAT. 3,112,875.
Naval Reserve pilot Philip Dalton, in consultation with navigation instructor Philip Van Horn Weems, developed the Dalton dead reckoning computer for the U.S. Army Air Corps and received a patent in 1937. The device was widely used during World War II.
After the war, many manufacturers in the United States and Europe made the E-6B. Elrey Borge Jeppesen, a pilot for what became United Airlines, founded his company in 1934 and moved it to Denver in 1941. Jeppesen & Co. made aeronautical charts and navigational tools and guides. It became a subsidiary of Boeing in 2000. The patent number on the back of this object refers to the design of the computer with the gridded rectangular sheet and two discs. The patentees were employed by Felsenthal Instruments Co., which frequently supplied companies with the plastic for manufacturing Dalton computers in the 1950s and 1960s.
The donor purchased this object around 1965 and used it for about two years in airplane navigation.
References:
Paul McConnell, "Some Early Computers for Aviators," Annals of the History of Computing 13, no. 2 (1991): 155–177, on 156. Philip Dalton, "Plotting and Computing Device" (U.S. Patent 2,097,116 issued October 26, 1937).
Ben Van Caro and Burton L. Fredriksen, "Computer Slide Construction" (U.S. Patent 3,112,875 issued December 3, 1963). "E6B," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E6B.
"Jeppesen," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeppesen.
"On the Beam," advertisement for Dalton Dead Reckoning Computer, Felsenthal Plastics, Flying 35, no. 2 (August 1944): 10.
Paul Sanik, "U.S. Army Air Corps Aerial Dead Reckoning type E-6B," Journal of the Oughtred Society 6, no. 2 (1997): 32–34 .
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1960s
maker
Jeppesen & Co.
ID Number
1995.0087.03
accession number
1995.0087
catalog number
1995.0087.03

Box with Sheet, for Log Log Magnifier Slide Rule

By the 1960s, when this cardboard box was made, slide rules were an established symbol of the technical education of young Americans. They came with considerable packaging – not only a leather or plastic case but a set of instructions and a guarantee.
Description
By the 1960s, when this cardboard box was made, slide rules were an established symbol of the technical education of young Americans. They came with considerable packaging – not only a leather or plastic case but a set of instructions and a guarantee. This box, made by the American firm of Pickett, was designed for the company’s model N4M-ES slide rule. The N indicates that the cursor was nylon, the M that it magnified the portion of the scales below it, and the ES that it was in “eye saver” yellow rather than the more usual white. The box also holds a guarantee – but no slide rule or case.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965
maker
Pickett Industries
ID Number
1995.3023.07
nonaccession number
1995.3023
catalog number
1995.3023.07

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

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

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

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