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: Illinois

Dietzgen 12066-24 T-Square and 4410-2 1/2 Drawing Board

The 18" X 24" drawing board is made of six strips of pine, joined with tongue and groove construction to two pine endpieces. The board is pieced to allow for expansion and contraction. It is not marked.
Description
The 18" X 24" drawing board is made of six strips of pine, joined with tongue and groove construction to two pine endpieces. The board is pieced to allow for expansion and contraction. It is not marked. Between 1926 and 1938, the Eugene Dietzgen Company added this size of board to its model 4410 line of drawing boards.
The 26-3/8" ash T-square is lined with maple on the handle. The head is 13" wide and painted black. The handle is marked: DIETZGEN (/) GLOBE (/) 12066-24. A drawing of the Earth appears around the word "GLOBE." A round hole at the end of the handle permits hanging. Between 1926 and 1938, Dietzgen began offering a "school quality" version of its model 2066 line of T-squares and gave that version the model number 12066.
George Norton (1927–2009) purchased these tools in 1944 as part of a "practical drawing outfit" (model number 1100BW) that also included two celluloid triangles, a triangular scale, a celluloid protractor, a celluloid French curve, a box of thumb tacks, two pencils, one eraser, one art gum, one pencil pointer, twelve sheets of sandpaper, one bottle of black ink, six sheets of drawing paper, one instruction book, and a lettering chart. He paid $4.60 for the entire boxed kit. He used the instruments as a toolmaker for the U.S. Naval Gun Factory in Washington, D.C. He worked for the Smithsonian from the early 1960s until 1989.
References: Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 12th ed. (Chicago, 1926), 217, 291; Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 15th ed. (Chicago, 1938), 203, 303, 390; "George A. Norton Jr., Museum Specialist," Washington Post, January 1, 2010, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/01/AR2010010101675.html; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944
maker
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
1997.0105.01
catalog number
1997.0105.01
accession number
1997.0105

Safe-T mmArc Combination Compass, Protractor, and Rule, Group of Two

These clear plastic instruments are roughly rectangular in shape, with a semicircular side at one end. A rotating disc is inset at that end. The disc has holes at distances of 10 to 19 mm from its center.
Description
These clear plastic instruments are roughly rectangular in shape, with a semicircular side at one end. A rotating disc is inset at that end. The disc has holes at distances of 10 to 19 mm from its center. The rectangular part of the instrument has ten rows of ten holes, at distances of 22 to 120 mm from the center of the disc. To draw circles, one fixes the disc at the center, places a pencil or other writing implement at the desired radius, and rotates either the disc or the rectangle.
The semicircular edge is divided to degrees and marked by 20s from zero to 180 in the clockwise direction and by 20s from 10 to 170 in the counterclockwise direction. The disc is marked: SAFE-T PROTRACTOR ™. It directs students to look at the upper, black numbers for angles facing left and at the lower, red numbers for angles facing right. A scale of 11 centimeters, divided to millimeters, is along one edge, and a scale of four inches, divided to 16ths of an inch, is along the other edge. The lower left corner is marked: mmArc ™ (/) by SAFE-T ™ (/) #46110.
One of the instruments is marked in the lower right corner: U.S.Pat#5,615,485 (/) "And Other Pats. Pend." It fits into a two-sided white cardboard of instructions. The bottom of this card has a label covering the mark: Part # 45759. The label is marked: Part # 46109. The card is also marked: Made in China.
The other instrument is marked in the lower right corner: LaGrange, IL 60525-0692 (/) U.S.Pat#4,353,166 (/) "And Other Pats. Pend." It is still sealed in its original display packaging, which describes the object as model number 46111 and indicates it was manufactured in China.
According to a company catalog in the accession file, Safe-T model number 45759 was the Safe-T Compass, so that mark on the instruction card is apparently a typo. Number 46109 was the mmArc that sold individually for $2.50 around 2000. Number 46110 sold in sets of 30 for $64.80 for classroom use. Number 46111 is not listed in the catalog but apparently was distributed to retail stores. Patent number 4,353,166 refers to a patent received by John S. Kettlestrings of Wheaton, Ill., in 1982 for the design of the disc. Patent number 5,615,485 refers to a patent received by J. Bruce Stoneberg, the president of Extra Measures, Inc., for the entire Safe-T Compass. For information on Safe-T Products and Extra Measures, see 2000.0160.04.
References: John S. Kettlestrings, "Toy-Like Instrument for Drawing Circles" (U.S. Patent 4,353,166 issued October 12, 1982); Bruce Stoneberg, "Instruments for Drawing Circles" (U.S. Patent 5,615,485 issued April 1, 1997); accession file. See also Bruce Stoneberg, "Compass" (U.S. Patent Des. 378,359 issued March 11, 1997).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1995-2000
maker
Safe-T Products, Inc.
ID Number
2000.0160.06
accession number
2000.0160
catalog number
2000.0160.06

Safe-T Meter Stick and Inch Rule

This hollow white plastic instrument has paper scales. One side has a 39-inch ruler, divided to 1/8" along the top and to 1/2" along the bottom. Alternate pairs of half-inches are colored orange on the bottom scale.
Description
This hollow white plastic instrument has paper scales. One side has a 39-inch ruler, divided to 1/8" along the top and to 1/2" along the bottom. Alternate pairs of half-inches are colored orange on the bottom scale. The interior of this side has a recycling symbol around the number 7. The rule is marked: P.O. BOX 692 La Grange, IL 60525 SAFE-T RULERTM.
The other side is a meter stick, divided along the top to millimeters and along the bottom to centimeters. Alternate centimeters are colored blue on the bottom scale. The rule is marked: SAFE-TTM METER STICK. According to the donor, this meter stick is designed so that the straight edge is at some distance from the chalk or dry erase board.
Safe-T Products, Inc., was established in the northwest Chicago suburbs in 1992 to manufacture and sell drawing instruments that were safe for children. Thus, the plastic of this instrument is shatter-resistant. It sold for $12.95 in 2000. For company history, see 2000.0160.04.
References: Safe-T/Basics by Extra Measures, Inc., about 2000; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2000
distributor
Extra Measures, Inc.
maker
Safe-T Products, Inc.
ID Number
2000.0160.05
accession number
2000.0160
catalog number
2000.0160.05

Safe-T 43062 Flat Flexible Rule

This flexible clear plastic ruler has an 18" scale divided to 1/16" on one edge and a 45.7 cm scale divided to millimeters on the other edge. The rule is marked: VIEW-THRU TM SAFE-T Ruler® 43062 SAFE-T PLASTIC® China.
Description
This flexible clear plastic ruler has an 18" scale divided to 1/16" on one edge and a 45.7 cm scale divided to millimeters on the other edge. The rule is marked: VIEW-THRU TM SAFE-T Ruler® 43062 SAFE-T PLASTIC® China. The donor noted that this instrument was useful for measuring on overhead projectors and around corners.
Safe-T Products, Inc., of La Grange, Ill., was established in 1992. In 2006, the company became a subsidiary of A. Daigger & Company and its name changed to Classroom Products Warehouse. For company history, see 2000.0160.04. This object sold for $1.50 in 2000.
References: Safe-T/Basics by Extra Measures, Inc., about 2000; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2000
distributor
Extra Measures, Inc.
maker
Safe-T Products, Inc.
ID Number
2000.0160.11
accession number
2000.0160
catalog number
2000.0160.11

Dietzgen 1298-B Blackboard Rule

This three-foot wooden rule was sold as part of a set of instruments for blackboard use. It is divided to 1/8" along one edge and numbered in red for feet and in black for inches.
Description
This three-foot wooden rule was sold as part of a set of instruments for blackboard use. It is divided to 1/8" along one edge and numbered in red for feet and in black for inches. A horizontal handle in the center of the rule assists with positioning it against the blackboard, and a round hole at the right end is for hanging the instrument. The lower right corner is marked: DIETZGEN (/) MADE IN U.S.A. (/) 1298-B.
The Eugene Dietzgen Company of Chicago began numbering its blackboard drawing instruments individually by 1910, when it priced the four pieces at $1.25 each or $5.00 for the set. However, through at least 1938, the handle on the ruler was shaped like a knob, not as a horizontal bar. For related object, see 1999.0117.02.
The instrument was used by Margaret G. Aldrich teaching mathematics at Montgomery College, established as Montgomery Junior College in Takoma Park, Maryland.
References: Catalogue & Price List of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 7th ed. (Chicago, 1904), 151; Catalogue & Price List of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 9th ed. (Chicago, 1910–1911), 194; Catalogue & Price List of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 15th ed. (Chicago, 1938), 210.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
maker
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
1999.0160.01
catalog number
1999.0160.01
accession number
1999.0160

Pickett N4-ES Vector-Type Log Log Duplex Slide Rule

This aluminum ten-inch linear duplex slide rule is coated in Pickett's "Eye Saver" yellow plastic. The flat nylon indicator is screwed within a white plastic frame.
Description
This aluminum ten-inch linear duplex slide rule is coated in Pickett's "Eye Saver" yellow plastic. The flat nylon indicator is screwed within a white plastic frame. The front top of the base has three extended cube root scales (one for numbers with 1, 4, 7, 10, or more digits before the decimal point; one for numbers with 2, 5, 8, 11, or more digits; and one for numbers with 3, 6, 9, 12, or more digits) and a DF scale. The front bottom of the base has D, DI, and square root scales. The top square root scale gives roots of numbers on the D scale with an odd number of digits before the decimal point; the lower square root scale gives roots of numbers with an even number of digits. The front of the slide has CF, CIF, double T, ST, S, CI, and C scales.
The left end of the slide is marked: MODEL N4-ES (/) Vector-Type LOG LOG (/) DUAL-BASE SPEED RULE. The right end has "Pickett" in script on a triangle with a dot at one point. MADE IN U.S.A. appears beneath the logo. This form of logo was in use from 1958 to 1962. The style of the grooved stamped aluminum posts is also consisted with this timeframe.
The top back of the base has LL1, LL2, and DF/M scales. D, LL3, and LL4 scales are on the bottom of the base. The back of the slide has CF/M, TH, SH, Ln, L, CI, and C scales. The back of the slide is marked at the left end: COPYRIGHT 1959© (/) PATENT APPLIED FOR. The right end is marked: PICKETT (/) ALL METAL (/) SLIDE RULES (/) PICKETT & ECKEL INC. (/) CHICAGO ILL. U.S.A. 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 of the firm from 1957 to 1967.
The slide rule is in a red-brown leather case lined in white plastic. The triangular Pickett logo is stamped in gold on the front of the case, and a metal ring on the back is for a leather strap (no longer with the instrument) that can be hung around a belt loop. See 1980.0097.04 for instructions.
The donor, engineer Edgar F. Peebles, obtained this slide rule free of charge as a replacement when the numbers came off the slide rule he had used in college. He first used it from 1959 to 1965 in the satellite control facility of the Air Force at Sunnyvale, Calif. He then used it as a down range representative for Lockheed Missiles and Space Company from 1965 to 1968 in tests of the Polaris missile. Finally, from 1968 to 1969 he used the slide rule in the checkout area of the test Polaris missile manufacturing plant in Sunnydale.
References: Rodger Shepherd, "Pickett's 'Eye Saver Yellow,'" Journal of the Oughtred Society 1, no. 1 (1992): 18; International Slide Rule Museum, "Pickett All-Metal Slide Rules," http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm#Pickett; Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use . . . Pickett Dual Base Log Log Slide Rules (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1953), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/M103_Pickett_HowToUseDualBase_1953.pdf; John W. Pickett, "Slide Rule Case" (U.S. Patent D187,632 issued April 5, 1960); accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1959
maker
Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated
ID Number
2000.0203.01
accession number
2000.0203
catalog number
2000.0203.01

Spherometer

A spherometer is used primarily for measuring the curvature of objects such as lenses and curved mirrors. For further information about spherometers. This example is marked with the "Cenco" trademark of the Central Scientific Company of Chicago, founded in 1900.
Description
A spherometer is used primarily for measuring the curvature of objects such as lenses and curved mirrors. For further information about spherometers. This example is marked with the "Cenco" trademark of the Central Scientific Company of Chicago, founded in 1900. They manufactured and sold educational scientific apparatus. Their 1936 catalog describes this item as "Spherometer, Student Form" and lists experiments in several popular physics textbooks that can be performed with this instrument. This instrument includes a demonstration optical flat and a large double-convex lens. This particular setup was probably used by students to replicate the Newton's Rings experiment. This spherometer is small (3.5 inches in height) and has both a vertical scale and a horizontal scale on the disc. This spherometer sold for $4.50 in 1941. This spherometer was originally owned by Columbia University.
Central Scientific Company, Catalog (1941): 1014.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1906-1950
maker
Central Scientific Company
ID Number
2001.0162.04
catalog number
2001.0162.04
accession number
2001.0162

Safe-T 43031 4-in-1 Math Rule

On one side, this 12" rigid white plastic ruler has a scale of inches divided to 1/16" along one edge and a scale of inches divided to 1/10" along the other edge. The ruler is marked: SAFE-T Products™, Inc. It is also marked: 4-in-1 MATH SAFE-T RULER® 43031.
Description
On one side, this 12" rigid white plastic ruler has a scale of inches divided to 1/16" along one edge and a scale of inches divided to 1/10" along the other edge. The ruler is marked: SAFE-T Products™, Inc. It is also marked: 4-in-1 MATH SAFE-T RULER® 43031. It is also marked: SAFE-T PLASTIC®.
The other side has a scale of 30 centimeters along one edge, divided to 1/2 cm, and a scale of 30 centimeters divided to millimeters along the other edge. The interior of this side has tables of metric equivalents for English units of length, area, weights, and capacity (volume). The corners of the ruler are rounded for safety.
Safe-T Products, Inc., of La Grange, Ill., was established in 1992. In 2006 the company became a subsidiary of A. Daigger & Company and its name changed to Classroom Products Warehouse. For company history, see 2000.0160.04. Around 2000, the model number for this object was changed from 43002 to 43031. It sold for 99¢.
References: Safe-T/Basics by Extra Measures, Inc., about 2000; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 2000
distributor
Extra Measures, Inc.
maker
Safe-T Products, Inc.
ID Number
2000.0160.14
accession number
2000.0160
catalog number
2000.0160.14

Perrygraf Clipper Cargo Dimensional Weight Computer Circular Slide Chart

This instrument consists of two pieces of blue and white rectangular cardboard, riveted together at the corners. It is marked with a circular logarithmic scale of weight in pounds that ranges from 1 to 250. Inside this is a scale of lengths from 50" to 10".
Description
This instrument consists of two pieces of blue and white rectangular cardboard, riveted together at the corners. It is marked with a circular logarithmic scale of weight in pounds that ranges from 1 to 250. Inside this is a scale of lengths from 50" to 10". A white disc attached below that scale has a scale of heights from 5" to 30" and a scale of widths from 30" to 6". A paper indicator is attached on top of the disc. It contains a scale of densities in cubic inches per pound from 300 to 200 and three steps of instructions. This slide chart is marked: CLIPPER CARGO (/) DIMENSIONAL WEIGHT COMPUTER. It performs the same function as 1996.3029.01.
Unlike the other object, a rectangular piece of white cardboard slides inside the instrument to also permit readings of conversions from kilograms to pounds on the front and readings of pounds to kilograms on the back. This part of the chart is marked: WEIGHT CONVERTER. The bottom of the chart is marked: PAN AMERICAN, with LEADERS IN AIR CARGO on the front and SPACE CAN BE RESERVED on the back. The back also has an advertisement: CLIPPER CARGO (/) Reduces Pilferage (/) Reduces Damage (/) Reduces Inventory (/) Extends your working capital!
The lower left corner of the front is marked: Slide-Chart Copr. 1957, (/) PERRYGRAF Corp., Maywood, Ill. The lower right corner is marked: *T.M. Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. Perrygraf was a very successful producer of promotional slide charts. In 1968, the company was sold to Nashua Corporation and moved to Los Angeles, Calif.
Reference: Walter Shawlee II, "The Wonderful World of Slide Charts, Wheel Charts, and Perrygrafs," Sphere Research Corp., http://sphere.bc.ca/test/perrygraf.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1957-1968
maker
Perry Graf Corporation
ID Number
1996.3029.02
nonaccession number
1996.3029
catalog number
1996.3029.02

Charles Bruning 2710 Chain Scale with Drafting Machine Mounts

This 12" beveled aluminum rule is divided to 1/16" and numbered by ones from 0 to 12 along one edge. The other edge is divided to 1/32" and numbered by ones from 0 to 24.
Description
This 12" beveled aluminum rule is divided to 1/16" and numbered by ones from 0 to 12 along one edge. The other edge is divided to 1/32" and numbered by ones from 0 to 24. In other words, as marks on the rule indicate, the first scale is "full size," for making drawings at a proportion of 1" to the foot, while the second scale is "half size," for making drawings at a proportion of 1/2" to the foot. The center of the rule is also marked: CHARLES BRUNING. A paper table for inches in decimals of a foot is pasted to the rule, partially covering the mark.
Oblong aluminum mounts at both ends allow the rule to be attached to a drafting machine. Both mounts are marked: VARD INC. (/) PATENT NO. (/) 2192422. Vard Beecher Wallace (1901–1988) of Sierra Madre, Calif., applied for a patent for these attachments in 1939 and received it the next year. He and a partner, Paul H. Ford, operated Vard Mechanical Laboratory, which supplied drafting machines to aircraft engineers such as Allen Lockheed and Jack Northrop, for whom Wallace had previously worked. The firm was renamed Vard, Inc., by 1945 and was purchased by Royal Industries in 1959.
Charles Bruning (1866–1931) was born in Denmark and immigrated to the United States. In Chicago during the 1890s, he became interested in the blue print business. In 1897, he set up his own blue printing company in Manhattan, which was incorporated as the New York Blue Print Paper Company in 1901. Around 1920,he purchased American Blue Print Company of Chicago, and the combined firms became known as the Charles Bruning Company, Inc.
The company began to offer this rule in 1948 as model 2710, style C-16. According to the donor, the instrument was used by her husband, the electrical engineer Robert H. Wieler (1923–1993). Compare this object to 1998.0032.14.
References: Vard B. Wallace, "Drafting Instrument Chuck and Wrench" (U.S. Patent 2,192,422 issued March 5, 1940); Bruce Butler, "Vard Wallace," Glendora Friends Church blog, May 3, 2010, http://glendorafriendschurch.blogspot.com/2010/05/vard-wallace.html; Patrick Conyers and Cedar Phillips, Pasadena 1940–2008, Images of America (Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, 2009), 59; "Charles Bruning," New York Times (January 31, 1931), 14; Charles Bruning Company, Inc., General Catalog, 14th ed. (New York, [1948]), 132–134; Charles Bruning Company, Inc., General Catalog, 15th ed. (New York, 1952), 176.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1948–1959
maker
Charles Bruning Company
ID Number
1998.0032.12
catalog number
1998.0032.12
accession number
1998.0032

Arithmetic School, a Toy by Playskool

In the early 1960s, the Chicago firm of Playskool introduced this educational toy for children three to six years old, seeking to give them an early familiarity with numbers.
Description
In the early 1960s, the Chicago firm of Playskool introduced this educational toy for children three to six years old, seeking to give them an early familiarity with numbers. It has two rows of relatively large rotating wooden rectangular blocks, each with a row of square rotating wooden blocks below. The larger blocks have problems in simple addition written on them, the smaller ones answers. The problems and correct answers are written in the same color of paint. The blocks move on metal rods that are attached at top and bottom to a frame. The frame is supported at the back by a collapsible metal stand. The frame is painted with a pattern of bricks on the side and a roof at the top.
A contemporary advertisement indicates that the toy cost $3.19.
Reference:
Jordan Marsh Company , [Advertisement], The Boston Globe, November 4, 1962, p. E5.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1962
maker
Playskool
ID Number
2005.0055.03
catalog number
2005.0055.03
accession number
2005.0055

Perrygraf Clipper Cargo Dimensional Weight Computer Circular Slide Chart

This instrument consists of concentric turquoise and white paper discs and a paper indicator held together with a metal rivet. Around the edge of the turquoise disc is a logarithmic scale of weight in pounds that ranges from 2 to 1,000.
Description
This instrument consists of concentric turquoise and white paper discs and a paper indicator held together with a metal rivet. Around the edge of the turquoise disc is a logarithmic scale of weight in pounds that ranges from 2 to 1,000. Inside this is a scale of lengths from 10" to 50". The white disc has a scale of heights from 5" to 50" and a scale of widths from 6" to 50". The indicator has a scale in densities in cubic inches per pound from 100 to 300 and instructions for setting the dimensions and density of a parcel in order to read off the parcel's weight.
The indicator is marked: PAN AMERICAN WORLD (/) AIRWAYS (/) 506 West Sixth Street (/) Los Angeles 14, California (/) Phone: Michigan 2121 (/) CLIPPER CARGO (/) Dimensional (/) WEIGHT COMPUTER. The white disc is marked: Clipper, Trade Mark, Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. Printed in U.S.A. (/) Copyright 1951, Pan American World Airways, Inc. (/) Slide-Chart by PERRYGRAF, Maywood, Ill. The back of the instrument has a Pan Am compass rose logo at the center of advertising text: ANY WAY YOU MEASURE (/) MAKE CLIPPER CARGO YOUR RULE (/) For All Your Export Shipping (/) See Us For A Free Cost Analysis of (/) CLIPPER CARGO SERVICE (/) via PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS.
A slide chart is a slide rule that performs a specific calculation, usually commissioned by a company as a promotional item. 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. Pan Am was the principal international air carrier in the United States for most of the 20th century. See also 1996.3029.02, whose copyright date suggests that the latest date this chart was made was 1957.
References: George Melloan, "Pocket Slide Charts Aid Engineers, Help Sell Steel, Lipstick," Wall Street Journal, September 4, 1953, 1; "People: Perrygraf," Waywiser, Harvard University Department of the History of Science website.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1951-1957
maker
Perry Graf Corporation
ID Number
1996.3029.01
nonaccession number
1996.3029
catalog number
1996.3029.01

Bruning 2090P Open Divided Scale

This white and orange plastic rule has scales for 1/2" and 1" to the foot along its top edge on the front side. Between these scales is a scale divided to 1/2", numbered from left to right by twos from 0 to 8, and numbered from right to left by ones from 0 to 4.
Description
This white and orange plastic rule has scales for 1/2" and 1" to the foot along its top edge on the front side. Between these scales is a scale divided to 1/2", numbered from left to right by twos from 0 to 8, and numbered from right to left by ones from 0 to 4. The bottom edge has scales for 1/8" and 1/4" to the foot. Between these scales is a scale divided to 1/8", numbered from left to right by fours from 0 to 44, and numbered from right to left by twos from 0 to 22. The top edge is marked: BRUNING 2090P. It is also marked: MADE IN U.S.A.
On the back, the top edge has scales for 3/8" and 3/4" to the foot. Between these scales is a scale divided to 3/8", numbered from left to right by twos from 0 to [1]2, and numbered from right to left by ones from 0 to 6. The bottom edge has scales for 1-1/2" and 3" to the foot. A brown leather sheath is marked: BRUNING.
Charles Bruning (1866–1931) was born in Denmark and immigrated to the United States. In Chicago during the 1890s, he became interested in the blue print business. In 1897, he set up his own blue printing company in Manhattan, which was incorporated as the New York Blue Print Paper Company in 1901. Around 1920 he purchased American Blue Print Company of Chicago, and the combined firms became known as the Charles Bruning Company, Inc.
By 1936, the firm was offering model 2090 in boxwood and with plastic edges over boxwood. It began to make the rule from molded plastic in 1948, but it did not give the rule model number 2090P until 1952, when the rule sold for $1.80. According to the donor, the instrument was used by her husband, the electrical engineer Robert H. Wieler (1923–1993). For other open divided or chain scales, see 1998.0032.08, 1981.0933.14, 1981.0933.15, and 1992.0433.04.
References: "Charles Bruning," New York Times (January 31, 1931), 14; Charles Bruning Company, Inc., General Catalog, 12th ed. (New York, 1936), 120; Charles Bruning Company, Inc., General Catalog, 14th ed. (New York, [1948]), 88; Charles Bruning Company, Inc., General Catalog, 15th ed. (Teterboro, N.J., and Chicago, 1952), 115; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1952
maker
Charles Bruning Company
ID Number
1998.0032.09
catalog number
1998.0032.09
accession number
1998.0332

Safe-T 41516 T-Square

Along its top edge, this 9-1/2" transparent orange plastic rectangular instrument has a scale of inches divided to 1/16" for four inches and to 1/10" for four inches and numbered by ones from 1 to 8.
Description
Along its top edge, this 9-1/2" transparent orange plastic rectangular instrument has a scale of inches divided to 1/16" for four inches and to 1/10" for four inches and numbered by ones from 1 to 8. The bottom edge has a centimeter scale divided to millimeters and numbered by ones from 0 to 20. Two rectangular indentations running the length of the instrument have holes drilled every 1/2-inch for drawing vertical lines. The holes are numbered from 3-1/2" to 0" to 3-1/2".
A lip underneath the instrument's left end serves as a guide rail when the T-square is placed on the edge of a clipboard or drawing board. Unlike a conventional T-square, this object has no crosspiece. This was supposed to make it easier to use. A hole at the right end permits hanging or placement in a three-ring binder. The device is marked: VIEW THRUTM; SAFE-T T-SQUARE®; SAFE-T PLASTIC®. It is also marked: Pat. (/) Pend. This patent was not identified.
Safe-T Products, Inc., of La Grange, Ill., was established in 1992 to sell drawing instruments that were safe for schoolchildren. In 1998 and 2000, Safe-T sold model 41516 for $1.95. In 2006, the company became a subsidiary of A. Daigger & Company and its name changed to Classroom Products Warehouse.
References: accession file; SAFE-T Products, Inc., Innovative Safe Drawing and Measuring Instruments, about 1998; Safe-T/Basics by Extra Measures, Inc., about 2000.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2000
maker
Safe-T Products, Inc.
ID Number
2000.0160.10
accession number
2000.0160
catalog number
2000.0160.10

Post 940 Beam Compass

This metal instrument has two I-shaped beams, one 13" long and one 7" long. Needle, pencil, and pen points are moved along a beam by rolling wheels at the top of the trammels.
Description
This metal instrument has two I-shaped beams, one 13" long and one 7" long. Needle, pencil, and pen points are moved along a beam by rolling wheels at the top of the trammels. The trammels are each marked with the logo for the Frederick Post Company that was in use from 1944 until 1970 and with the word ERA. A cardboard box covered with black imitation leather holds the objects. The box has two empty 2" slots. The end of the box has a red and white Post label with the model number 940. According to a Post catalog, purchasers could also choose beams as long as 26", 38", 50", 62", 74", 86", and 100".
Reference: Frederick W. Post Company, Dependable Drawing Materials, 19th ed. (Chicago, 1950), 61.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944-1970
maker
Frederick Post Co.
ID Number
1990.0317.01
accession number
1990.0317
catalog number
1990.0317.01

Pickett Trig Slide Rule Instruction Manual

This 64-page booklet was received with 1993.0559.01. Its citation information is: Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use . . . Trig Slide Rules (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel Inc., 1960). It sold separately for fifty cents.
Description
This 64-page booklet was received with 1993.0559.01. Its citation information is: Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use . . . Trig Slide Rules (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel Inc., 1960). It sold separately for fifty cents. Hartung was the University of Chicago professor who was closely associated with Pickett & Eckel in the company's early years and who wrote several instruction manuals for the firm's slide rules.
The booklet discusses slide rule operation, use of certain special scales, applications of trigonometry, and the principles underlying slide rules. Hartung focused on the operations of the instrument rather than on mathematical theory. There are problem sets at the end of each section, with answers in the back of the manual, and a few sets of "practical" (word) problems. Another copy of the booklet is scanned at http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/M104_Pickett_HowToUseTrig_1960.pdf.
Reference: "Maurice Leslie Hartung," Mathematics Genealogy Project, http://www.genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu/id.php?id=7964. Hartung received a life achievement award from the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics in 1977, http://ictm.org/ictmawards/lifeachievement.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1960
publisher
Pickett Industries
author
Hartung, Maurice L.
ID Number
1993.0559.01.01
accession number
1993.0559
catalog number
1993.0559.01.01

Instruction Manual for Dietzgen 1771 Redirule Slide Rule

This sixteen-page booklet lists no author or date. Its drawing of a slide rule corresponds to 1993.0357.02, with which it was received.
Description
This sixteen-page booklet lists no author or date. Its drawing of a slide rule corresponds to 1993.0357.02, with which it was received. The instructions explain how to: read the scales; multiply; place the decimal point; divide; combine multiplication and division; solve proportion problems; read the CI scale; compute squares and square roots and cubes and cube roots; solve problems in trigonometry; and work with logarithms.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1941-1972
maker
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
1993.0357.02.01
accession number
1993.0357
catalog number
1993.0357.02.01

“Cutie Pie” type radiation survey meter

Background on “Cutie Pie” type radiation survey meter, Object ID 1994.0125.30.1 and alternate ionization chamber, Object ID 1994.0125.30.2A Cutie Pie type of meter, such as Object ID 1994.0125.30.1, is a hand-held ionization chamber instrument.As defined by the U.S.
Description
Background on “Cutie Pie” type radiation survey meter, Object ID 1994.0125.30.1 and alternate ionization chamber, Object ID 1994.0125.30.2
A Cutie Pie type of meter, such as Object ID 1994.0125.30.1, is a hand-held ionization chamber instrument.
As defined by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), a survey meter is any portable radiation detection instrument especially adapted for inspecting an area or individual to establish the existence and amount of radioactive material present. The survey meter typically measures the amount of radiation present and provides this information on a numerical display in units of counts per minute, counts per second, or microroentgen (µR) or microrem (µrem) per hour. The most commonly used hand-held survey meters are the scintillation counter, which is used in the measurement of alpha, beta and neutron particles; the Geiger counter, widely used for the measurement of alpha, beta and gamma levels; and the ion chamber, which is used for beta, gamma and X-ray measurements.
For background on the development of early survey meters and their nicknames, go to:
https://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/surveymeters/surveymeters.htm
The ionization chamber is the simplest of all gas-filled radiation detectors, and is widely used for the detection and measurement of certain types of ionizing radiation; X-rays, gamma rays and beta particles. Conventionally, the term "ionization chamber" is used exclusively to describe those detectors which collect all the charges created by direct ionization within the gas through the application of an electric field. It only uses the discrete charges created by each interaction between the incident radiation and the gas, and does not involve the gas multiplication mechanisms used by other radiation instruments, such as the Geiger-Müller counter or the proportional counter. Ion chambers have a good uniform response to radiation over a wide range of energies and are the preferred means of measuring high levels of gamma radiation. They are widely used in the nuclear power industry, research labs, radiography, radiobiology, and environmental monitoring.
Detailed description of Object ID no. 1994.0125.30.1, Cutie Pie type radiation survey meter by Chicago Nuclear Corp., Model 2586.
(One of the accompanying photographs provided by donor, Prof. Herbert Clark, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.)
Gray-painted cast aluminum bread loaf-shaped housing, sitting on similarly made 'shoe' surmounting integral pistol grip. Inserted into front of housing is black cylindrical ionization chamber, 8cm (3 in) diam., ca 21 cm (8½ in) long, with window at front end covered by white plastic cap. The chamber has a multi-pin base that plugs into the main unit. The plastic cap contains a calibration source. At the back of housing, facing operator, is 'rate' ammeter. Instrument stands on butt of grip and on two chrome-plated 5 mm diam. wire legs, in form of square loops, that may be rotated around their insertions in front and back of 'shoe' into retracted positions alongside housing. Total length 34 cm (13¼ in), width 8 cm (3¼ in), height 23 cm (9 in). Painted on side of housing: "nuclear-chicago/ Model 2586". Label adhered on bottom of base: "Mod 2586/ Ser 1384/ nuclear-chicago/ Corporation/ Des Plaines, Illinois". RPI Prof. Herbert Clark (letter 1994.5.4) used this instrument during the 1960s.
Detailed description of Object ID no. 1994.0125.30.2, Ionization chamber for Cutie Pie type radiation survey meter .30.1
An alternate, interchangeable, 8 cm (3 1/8 in) diam., black cylindrical ionization chamber with incorporated electrometer tube for extending sensitivity of survey meter .30.1 by a factor of 100. On the cylinder is a two-position switch knob over a label that reads: “P24M / INTEGRATING CHAMBER / RANGE / X0.01 X1 / DO NOT USE WITH X100 / PULL TO REMOVE”. The chamber also has a detachable plastic cap that contains a calibration source.
For full details on the Nuclear-Chicago Model 2586 radiation survey meter and related devices, see Rick Maurer’s comprehensive, web-based National Radiation Instrument Catalog at:
http://national-radiation-instrument-catalog.com/new_page_42.htm
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950s
maker
Nuclear Chicago Corporation
ID Number
1994.0125.30.1
accession number
1994.0125
catalog number
1994.0125.30.1

Diagnostic Chart for Individual Difficulties. Fundamental Processes in Arithmetic, Teacher's Diagnosis

Guy T. Buswell and Lenore John published this chart in about 1925 through the Public School Publishing Company of Bloomington, Illinois. The entire package included directions, a pupil's work sheet, a teacher's diagnostic chart, and a pupil's work sheet diagnostic chart.
Description
Guy T. Buswell and Lenore John published this chart in about 1925 through the Public School Publishing Company of Bloomington, Illinois. The entire package included directions, a pupil's work sheet, a teacher's diagnostic chart, and a pupil's work sheet diagnostic chart. This is the teacher’s diagnostic chart. It was coauthored by Lenore John (1902-1992) when she was a graduate student in education at the University of Chicago.
John was the granddaughter, daughter and niece of ministers in the United Brethren Church. Born in Pennsylvania, she moved about with her family as her father, Lewis Franklin John, took various clerical and faculty positions. One of these was at York College in York, Nebraska. Lenore John enrolled in the college and took courses in education, graduating in 1921. She taught high school mathematics in Nebraska and Wisconsin. By about 1927, she was teaching mathematics at the University of Chicago’s Laboratory School and doing graduate work in education. In 1926, she assisted Guy T. Buswell (1891-1994), another York College graduate and child of a United Brethren minister. Buswell was a faculty member in the Education Department at Chicago, They prepared a Diagnostic Chart for Fundamental Processes in Arithmetic, of which this is an example. The Buswell-John chart, as it came to be called by some, remained in use for decades. Buswell and John hoped that their chart would be used to determine the areas of arithmetic in which a student required further work. It was a'diagnosis" of problems rather than a prognosis of future achievement. In later years Buswell and John collaborted on a series of arithmetic textbooks.
John went on to completer her MA dissertation at Chicago in 1927, and remained on the staff of the Laboratory School, continuing her research in mathematics education. She would serve as vice-president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics from 1950-1952. In the 1960s, she played an active role in work of one of the “new math” programs, the School Mathematics Study Group. She received an award from the Illinois branch of the NCTM (the ICTM) as late as 1967, and died in Chicago in 1992.
This example of the test is from the personal collection of U. S. government psychologist and university teacher in education Samuel Kavruck.
For a related object, the pupil's worksheet, see 1990.0034.07
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1925
maker
John, Lenore
Buswell, G. T.
publisher
Public School Publishing Company
maker
John, Lenore
ID Number
1990.0034.164
catalog number
1990.0034.164
accession number
1990.0034

Instructions for Pickett Student Slide Rules

Maurice L. Hartung, associate professor of the teaching of mathematics at the University of Chicago, wrote this sixteen-page pamphlet, How to Use Basic Slide Rules in 3 Easy Steps for Pickett & Eckel, a slide rule manufacturer established in Chicago in the late 1940s.
Description
Maurice L. Hartung, associate professor of the teaching of mathematics at the University of Chicago, wrote this sixteen-page pamphlet, How to Use Basic Slide Rules in 3 Easy Steps for Pickett & Eckel, a slide rule manufacturer established in Chicago in the late 1940s. Hartung advocated for the adoption of Pickett slide rules in schools, and he wrote several instruction manuals that the company reprinted and distributed through the 1960s.
The pamphlet uses drawings of slide rules and numerous "call-out" text boxes to explain how students could use the instrument's C and D scales to multiply and divide. The second part of the pamphlet explains the CI scale ("I" stands for "inverse"), provides instructions for finding squares and square roots with the A and B scales, and discusses the role of the K scale in finding cubes and cube roots. The third and final section of the pamphlet addresses logarithmic and trigonometric functions, which were found with the L, S, and T scales.
This copy was packaged with 1991.0445.02; of the scales explained in the instructions, this instrument lacked only the S and T scales for sines and tangents. If sold separately, the booklet would have cost 35 cents. The back of the pamphlet is marked: Pickett Inc.; Chicago 5 • SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA. It is also marked: Form M-20. The location and name of the company suggest the pamphlet was printed after 1964.
Reference: International Slide Rule Museum, "Pickett All-Metal Slide Rules," http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm#Pickett. This site provides a scan of another copy of this pamphlet, http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/M52_Pickett_HowToUseSR_3EasySteps_FormM-20.pdf.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1964
publisher
Pickett Industries
author
Hartung, Maurice L.
ID Number
1991.0445.02.01
accession number
1991.0445
catalog number
1991.0445.02.01

Psychological Test, Form Board, Healy Pictorial Completion Test I

This test is in a black, cloth-covered paper box. It consists of a picture of a country scene painted on paper and munted on plywood with a cloth backing. There are ten square holes in the picture.
Description
This test is in a black, cloth-covered paper box. It consists of a picture of a country scene painted on paper and munted on plywood with a cloth backing. There are ten square holes in the picture. In addition, there are fifty square wooden pieces, each with a portion of a picture on top, that fit into the holes. These pieces are stored in a wooden rack that fits in the bottom of the box. The rack has four indentations to hold the pieces.
A manual accompanying the test by William Healy isentitled: Manual for Pictorial Completion Test I, Cat. No. 46251, Chicago: C.H. Stoelting. This is a reprint of a 1914 article by Healy. This test is a later version (differing, at least, in its box) of a test described in; C.H. Stoelting, Apparatus, Tests and Supplies, 1936, p. 157.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
C. H. Stoelting Company
ID Number
1990.0570.02
accession number
1990.0570
catalog number
1990.0570.02

Victor Tallymaster Mark V Adding Machine

This ten-key printing electric adding machine has a mustard-yellow plastic frame, with yellow plastic keys and a front handle.
Description
This ten-key printing electric adding machine has a mustard-yellow plastic frame, with yellow plastic keys and a front handle. In addition to a block of nine number keys with a 0 bar below, it has a bar on the right, a place indicator above the keyboard, and two levers above this. The printing mechanism and motor are at the back. One can enter numbers of up to seven digits and print out eight-digit results. There is no paper tape installed, although a separate paper tape was received with this machine and 1991.0791.01. A white electric cord extends from the back of the machine. The top half of the case may be removed by releasing levers on each side.
The machine is marked above the keyboard: Tallymaster (/) MARK V (/) BY VICTOR. The bottom of the machine is marked: MOD. 57 57 50 (/) SER. 3283-303.
The machine was purchased by the donor for his collection. According to Darby, Victor introduced the Tallymaster as “a small, ten-key decorator-designed series of machine priced at a level that would make sense to husband and wife harassed by mounting home paperwork.”
Reference:
E. Darby, It All Adds Up: The Growth of Victor Comptometer Corporation, Victor Comptometer Corporation, 1968, p. 172.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970
maker
Victor Comptometer Corporation
ID Number
1991.0791.02
maker number
3283-303
accession number
1991.0791
catalog number
1991.0791.02

Psychological Test, Instructional Tests In Reading

In 1932, Paul V. Sangren and Mary C. Wilson, both then of Western State Teacher’s College in Kalamazoo, Michigan, published a series of multiple choice test of reading with Public School Publishing Company in Bloomington, Indiana.
Description
In 1932, Paul V. Sangren and Mary C. Wilson, both then of Western State Teacher’s College in Kalamazoo, Michigan, published a series of multiple choice test of reading with Public School Publishing Company in Bloomington, Indiana. This illustrated test is for students in grade one. The ten parts of it are listed on the front page, with room for scores.
Born in Michigan, Paul V. Sangren (1897 or 1898-1967) taught school for a time, rising to become superintendent of schools in Clio and Zeeland. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1920 and enrolled at the University of Michigan, receiving an A.M. in 1922 and publishing his PhD. dissertation in 1927. His thesis concerned the measurement of achievement in silent reading. From1923, he was associated with the Western Normal School (soon renamed the Western State Teacher’s College). Sangren took on a variety of positions including Director of Educational Research, then Dean of Administration, and, from 1936, president of the college. He kept the position through the college’s transition to the role of Western Michigan University in 1957, and retiring in 1960. Mary C. Wilson (1902-1983) obtained her B.A. from Louisiana Polytechnic Institute in 1922, her M.A. in 1930 from George Peabody College for Teachers in Tennessee, and was teaching at the Campus Training School at Western State Teacher’s College in 1935. She would go on to complete a PhD. at the University of Iowa and return to Louisiana as an associate professor of education at Northwestern State College in 1946.
References:
Sangren, Paul V. "The Need for More Adequate Measures of Achievement in Silent Reading." The Journal of Educational Research
“Deaths Elsewhere,” Chicago Tribune, September 20. 1967, p. D6.
“Friends and Associates of Late Dr. Sangren Can Memorialize Him through Scholarship Fund,” Western Michigan University Newsletter, November, 1967, vol. 12 #8, no pagination.
U.S. Bureau of Education, Library Division, Bibliography of Research Studies in Education, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1926-1927, 1932. These are available online.
Western State Teachers College, The Brown and Gold, 1935, no page – this document is online at https://web.library.wmich.edu/DIG/IWMU_Yearbooks/1935.pdf, accessed April 1, 2020.
Northwestern State College, The Alumni Columns, vol. 6 #1, November, 1946, p. 2.
Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, Lagniappe, 1922, p. 28. This year book list Mary C. Wilson as a senior in the pedagogy course from Ruston, Louisiana, who first entered the school in about 1916.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1932
publisher
Public School Publishing Company
maker
Wilson, Mary C.
Sangren, Paul V.
ID Number
1990.0034.010
catalog number
1990.0034.010
accession number
1990.0034

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