Science & Mathematics - Overview
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.
"Science & Mathematics - Overview" showing 16 items.
Page 1 of 2
Keuffel & Esser 4053-3 Polyphase Mannheim Duplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This ten-inch one-sided wooden slide rule is coated with white celluloid. The indicator is glass with white plastic edges attached by metal screws. The base has A, D, and K scales. The slide has B, CI, and C scales on one side of the slide and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The top and bottom edges are beveled; the top has a simply divided scale 10 inches long and divided to sixteenths of an inch, while the bottom has a simply divided scale 25 centimeters long and divided to millimeters.
- The left end of the slide has the model number in red: 4053-3. The right end is marked in red: © (/) K+E. The left end of the back of the slide has a serial number: 169518. Underneath the slide is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.; MADE IN U.S.A. Engraved directly on the back of the rule are tables of measures labeled: CONVERSION FACTORS. Centered underneath the tables is: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.
- Keuffel & Esser made slide rules of this type from 1909 to 1967. McCoy notes that this version of model 4053-3 (with this model number and the engraved tables) was introduced in 1954. In 1959, the rule sold in a plain case for $13.50. In 1962, model number 4053-3 was changed to 68-1622. The serial number suggests a date closer to the late 1950s than to the early 1960s. Compare to the earlier rule, 1981.0933.05.
- References: Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 192; Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4053 Family of Slide Rules," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4053family.htm; K+E Catalog, 42nd ed. (New York, 1954), 271; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg; Eric Marcotte, "The Evolution of a Slide Rule – The K&E 4053-3," http://www.sliderule.ca/4053.htm.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1954-1962
- maker
- Keuffel & Esser Co.
- ID Number
- 1981.0922.08
- accession number
- 1981.0922
- catalog number
- 1981.0922.08
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Keuffel & Esser N4053-3 Polyphase Mannheim Simplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This ten-inch one-sided mahogany slide rule is coated with white celluloid. The top is beveled and bears a scale of nine inches whose ends may have broken off. The base has A, D, and K scales. The slide has B, CI, and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The indicator is glass with plastic edges held together with metal screws. The top plastic edge is broken. The front edge of the rule has a scale of 25 centimeters. A paper table of equivalents and slide rule settings, based on U. S. Bureau of Standards Circular No. 47, is pasted to the back of the rule. Compare the table to 1999.0254.01.
- The top of the base is marked in red: PAT. JUNE 5, 1900; KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide is marked in red: < N4053-3 >. The left end of the other side of the slide and the scale of centimeters have the serial number: 350305. The top of the base and under the slide are scratched with the initials: PML. The bottom plastic edge of the indicator is marked: PATENT 2,086,502, with K&E CO. N.Y., on the back of the edge.
- Keuffel & Esser of New York sold this slide rule as model N4053-3 from 1925 through 1953. Illustrations in K&E catalogs include the patent date of June 5, 1900, from 1925 through 1934. The serial number suggests the rule was made closer to 1934. However, the patent on the indicator was issued in 1937, suggesting that this part was replaced after the rule was purchased. Compare to 1981.0922.08.
- William J. Ellenberger (1908–2008) donated this object. He studied electrical and mechanical engineering at The George Washington University between 1925 and 1934. He then worked for the Potomac Electric Power Company and the National Bureau of Standards. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He was a civilian construction management engineer for the army from 1954 to 1968, when he became a private consultant.
- References: Adolf W. Keuffel, "Runner for Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,086,502 issued July 6, 1937); Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4053 Family of Slide Rules," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4053family.htm; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg; Wayne E. Feely, "K & E Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 49, no. 5 (June 1996): 50–52; "The GW Engineering Hall of Fame 2006 Inductees," http://www.weas.gwu.edu/ifaf/hall_of_fame_inductees_2006.php.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1925-1934
- maker
- Keuffel & Esser Co.
- ID Number
- 1981.0933.05
- catalog number
- 1981.0933.05
- accession number
- 1981.0933
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Keuffel & Esser 4055 Favorite Simplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This ten-inch mahogany linear slide rule is coated with white celluloid on the front and both sides of the slide. The base has A and D scales. The slide has B and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other. A paper table of equivalents and slide rule settings, based on U. S. Bureau of Standards Circular No. 47, is pasted to the back of the rule. See also 2001.0117.01. According to Eric Marcotte, this circular was in force from 1914 to 1936. Keuffel & Esser included it on slide rules from the 1920s to the 1950s.
- The indicator is glass with a plastic frame, of the style used by Keuffel & Esser between 1915 and 1937, based on the patent indicated by the mark on the top edge of the frame: K&E.CO.N.Y. (/) PAT.8.17.15. The top of the base is marked in red: PAT. JUNE 5, 1900; KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; MADE IN U.S.A. For more on this patent, see MA*322761. Four expressions have been scratched into the front of the slide: x = A + B; ÷ = A – B; x – 1; ÷ + 1. The model number is printed at the right end in red: < 4055 >. The left end of the back of the slide and the front left corner of the base are marked with a serial number: 190673.
- The rule is in a cardboard case covered with black morocco leather and heavily taped. It is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER (/) FAVORITE (/) SLIDE RULE (/) 4055. It is also marked on the tape near one end: E. HELLER (/) ΣΦΕ. On the other side of that end, it is marked on the tape: PROPERTY OF (/) PETER (/) HELLER. K&E sold model 4055 from 1927 to 1943; the serial number suggests a date closer to 1927, when the instrument sold for $4.00. One owner of this slide rule was the mechanical engineer Edward Lincoln Heller (1912–2007), who received a BSfrom Lehigh University in 1934 and an MBA from Harvard University in 1939. It seems likely that he used the slide rule as a college student.
- References: Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule" (U.S. Patent 651,142 issued June 5, 1900); Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule Runner" (U.S. Patent 1,150,771 issued August 17, 1915); Eric Marcotte, "The Evolution of a Slide Rule – The K&E 4053-3," http://www.sliderule.ca/4053.htm; Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4055 Family," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4055family.htm; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," 27 December 2000, http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg; "Heller, Edward L.," American Men and Women of Science, 12th ed. (New York: J. Cattell Press, 1972), 2620.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1927-1943
- maker
- Keuffel & Esser Co.
- ID Number
- 1984.1068.01
- catalog number
- 1984.1068.01
- accession number
- 1984.1068
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Keuffel & Esser N4058-W Beginner's Simplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This ten-inch wooden linear slide rule is painted white. The indicator is frameless plastic. The base has A, D, and K scales. The slide has B, CI, and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The back of the rule is printed with a table of equivalents and abbreviations, based on National Bureau of Standards Circular No. 47. Compare to 1984.1068.01. The back is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.; BEGINNER'S SLIDE RULE. N4058W; MADE IN U. S. A. There is no serial number. The case is green leatherette and is marked: K+E.
- In 1897, Keuffel & Esser began to sell a slide rule for students. It was constructed inexpensively and was intended to be replaced once students had mastered the basic operations. The version with this model number and these scales was offered between 1944 and 1959, although the all-plastic indicator was not introduced until 1954. Model N4058W sold for $2.50 in 1959. Longtime NMAH staff member Barbara Coffee donated this example to the Smithsonian.
- Reference: Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4058 Family," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4058family.htm.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1954-1959
- maker
- Keuffel & Esser Co.
- ID Number
- 1987.0184.01
- accession number
- 1987.0184
- catalog number
- 1987.0184.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Keuffel & Esser 4080-3 Log Log Trig Duplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This ten-inch double-sided mahogany rule is fully covered with white celluloid. On one side, there are L, LL1, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales on the base and CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked in red: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PATS. RE.20,984 1,930,852 2,168,056 2,170,144 PAT. PEND.; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide is marked with the model number: < 4080-3 >. On the other side, there are LL0, LL00, A, D, DI, and K scales on the base and B, T, ST, and S scales on the slide. The left end of the slide and the front left corner of the base are marked with a serial number: 728903. The indicator is glass with plastic edges held together with metal screws. A piece is missing from the top edge; if it were whole, it would read: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y. The bottom edge is marked: PATENT 2,086,502.
- The rule fits into a sewn orange leather case. The flap is marked: K & E (/) LOG LOG DUPLEX (/) TRADE TRIG MARK (/) 4080-3S. The S refers to the sewed leather case. A paper table of equivalences was once attached to the case, but most of it has been torn away. The remaining portions resemble the charts on K&E simplex slide rules, such as 1984.1068.01. The back of the case has a metal ring, presumably to fit around a belt loop, and is marked: R. L. HUFFMAN.
- K&E used this combination of scales on this model from 1939 to 1947. The serial number on this example is consistent with a date earlier in this time frame. In 1947, it sold for $18.00. Included in the acquisition is a manual by William E. Breckenridge, The Log Log Duplex Slide Rule (1939). Compare this rule to 2007.0181.01.
- Robert L. Huffman owned this instrument. It seems likely that he used it as a college student. He received a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota in 1941. Huffman went on to work for Automatic Electric Company of Chicago and then, from 1945, for General Telephone Laboratories.
- References: Alfred W. Keuffel, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent RE20,984 reissued Janaury 24, 1939); Alfred W. Keuffel, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 1,930,852 issued October 17, 1933); Adolf W. Keuffel, "Runner for Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,086,502 issued July 6, 1937); 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); 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; The Automatic Electric Technical Journal 1, no. 2 (July 1948): front matter.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1939-1947
- maker
- Keuffel & Esser Co.
- ID Number
- 1992.0437.01
- catalog number
- 1992.0437.01
- accession number
- 1992.0437
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Keuffel & Esser 4071-3 Polyphase Decitrig Duplex Slide Rule
- 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
- maker
- Keuffel & Esser Co.
- ID Number
- 1993.0482.01
- accession number
- 1993.0482
- catalog number
- 1993.0482.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Keuffel & Esser 4054 Polyphase Mannheim Simplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This ten-inch mahogany linear slide rule is coated with white celluloid on the front and on both sides of the slide. The base has A, D, and K scales. One side of the slide has B, CI, and C scales; the other side has S, L, and T scales. A paper table of equivalents and slide rule settings, based on U. S. Bureau of Standards Circular No. 47, is pasted to the back of the rule. See also 1981.0933.05 and 1999.0254.01. The indicator is glass with a plastic frame, of the style used by Keuffel & Esser after the 1937 patent indicated by the mark on the top edge of the frame: PATENT 2,086,502. A piece of the bottom edge of the frame is missing.
- The top of the base is marked in red: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PAT. 1,934,232, MADE IN U.S.A. The patent was issued in 1933 and refers to an improvement in assembling the instrument so that users could not as easily over-tighten the screws used to adjust the rule. The right end of the slide is marked in red with the model number: < 4054 >. The left end of the back of the slide and the front left corner of the base are marked with a serial number: 120337.
- The rule fits in a cardboard case covered with black leather. The top of the flap is marked: K & E (/) SLIDE RULE. The front of the flap is marked: 4054 (/) K + E. The case fits into a dark green cardboard box. Also inside the box is K&E pamphlet no. 3-44, titled "How to take care of your K & E slide rule: Mannheim" and copyrighted in 1944. Keuffel and Esser of New York sold this version of model 4054 from 1944 through 1952; the serial number is consistent with a date closer to 1944. The price in 1947 was $9.00. This example was purchased by the donor's grandfather, Abraham Nezin (1891–1987), when he took a course on operating new equipment obtained for his laundry on South Capital Street in Southwest Washington, D.C.
- References: Adolf W. Keuffel, "Slide Rules," (U.S. Patent 1,934,232 issued November 7, 1933); Adolf W. Keuffel, "Runner for Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,086,502 issued July 6, 1937); Bob Otnes, "Adolf Keuffel and the Later K&E Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 8, no. 1 (1999): 37–38; Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4054 Family," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4054family.htm; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," 27 December 2000, http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1944-1952
- maker
- Keuffel & Esser Co.
- ID Number
- 2001.0117.01
- accession number
- 2001.0117
- catalog number
- 2001.0117.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Keuffel & Esser 4080-3 Log Log Trig Duplex Slide Rule
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Keuffel & Esser 4071 Duplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This ten-inch mahogany duplex linear slide rule is coated with celluloid on the front and back only; the edges are bare. The indicator is glass with metal screws and plastic sides. On both sides, there is an A scale on the top of the base and a D scale on the bottom of the base. One side of the slide has B and C scales; there are BI and CI scales on the other side.
- On the front (CD) side, the bottom of the base is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PAT. JUNE 5. '00 DEC. 22. '08. The slide is marked on the left side: < 4071 >. The top edge of the indicator is marked: K&E.CO.N.Y. (/) PAT.8.17.15. The back of the rule is not marked.
- Keuffel & Esser of New York sold this model of slide rule from 1901 to 1917. Head of manufacturing Willie Keuffel took out patents for improving the ability to adjust duplex slide rules in 1900 and 1908. The "frameless" style of indicator found on this example was introduced in 1915, after Keuffel's patent for that improvement was granted on August 15 of that year. Assuming that the indicator is original, the rule dates from 1915–1917. It sold for $5.00. Compare this example, donated to the Smithsonian by K&E in 1961, to the earlier versions MA*318477 and MA*326613.
- References: Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule" (U.S. Patent 651,142 issued June 5, 1900); Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule" (U.S. Patent 907,373 issued December 22, 1908); Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule Runner" (U.S. Patent 1,150,771 issued August 17, 1915); Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 35th ed. (New York, 1915), 302–303.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1915-1917
- maker
- Keuffel & Esser Co.
- ID Number
- MA*318475
- catalog number
- 318475
- accession number
- 235479
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Keuffel & Esser N4053-5 Polyphase Mannheim Simplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This 20-inch mahogany one-sided slide rule is coated with white celluloid. The top edge is beveled and has a simply divided scale 20 inches long that is divided to sixteenths of an inch. The base has A, D, and K scales. One side of the slide has B, CI, and C scales; S, L, and T scales are on the other side. The A and B scales are divided logarithmically from 1 to 10 twice in the usual manner. The C and D scales are divided logarithmically once from 1 to 10 in the length of the scales in the usual manner. The CI scale is divided logarithmically from 1 to 10 the length of the scale, going in the opposite direction from the other scales. The K scale is divided logarithmically three times in the length of the scale, for use in finding cubes and cube roots. The S scale gives the sines of angles from less than 40 minutes to 90 degrees. The L scale is a scale of equal parts running from 0 to 10. The T scale gives tangents of angles from somewhat less than 6 degrees to 45 degrees.
- The front edge has a simply divided scale 50 centimeters long that is divided to millimeters. The indicator is of the "frameless" glass style with plastic edge pieces and metal screws. A paper table of equivalents and slide rule settings, based on U. S. Bureau of Standards Circular No. 47, is pasted to the back of the rule. See also 1981.0933.05 and 1999.0254.01. The instrument fits in a cardboard case covered with black leather that fastens with a snap.
- The top of the base is marked in red: PAT. JUNE 5, 1900; KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide has the model number in red: < N4053-5 >. The left end of the other side of the slide and the scale in centimeters are marked with a serial number: 295836. The bottom edge of the indicator is marked: K&E.CO.N.Y. (/) PAT.8.17.15. The flap of the case is marked: K & E (/) POLYPHASE (/) SLIDE RULE (/) 4053–5. The snap on the case is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (/) NEW YORK.
- Keuffel & Esser sold an earlier form of this slide rule, with no beveled edge at the top, from 1913 through 1922. The new form of the instrument—with the beveled edge, the K scale on the base instead of on the bottom edge, and the centimeter scale on the bottom edge—sold from 1923 to 1953. The style of the indicator on this slide rule was in use from 1915 through 1934. Illustrations of the 4053 line of slide rules in K&E catalogs depict the patent date of June 5, 1900, from 1925 through 1934. Thus, this example likely dates to 1925–1934; the serial number suggests a date around 1930. Compare also to 1981.0922.05. For documentation, see MA*304213.05. The Interstate Commerce Commission discarded this rule as surplus material in 1963.
- References: Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule" (U.S. Patent 651,142 issued June 5, 1900); Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule Runner" (U.S. Patent 1,150,771 issued August 17, 1915); Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 34th ed. (New York, 1913), 300; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 35th ed. (New York, 1915), 300; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules & Calculating Instruments (New York, 1925), 6; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules & Calculating Instruments (New York, 1934), 6; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 38th ed. (New York, 1936), 312; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," 27 December 2000, http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1925-1934
- maker
- Keuffel & Esser Co.
- ID Number
- MA*321780
- catalog number
- 321780
- accession number
- 246883
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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