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 1306 items.
Page 101 of 131
Mathematical Table, Decimal Equivalents of Parts of an Inch
- Description
- Companies seeking to provide customers with advertisements they might consult repeatedly sometimes distributed convenient mathematical tables. This is an example of one of these. The small white plastic card has figures printed in blue. The table gives decimal equivalents of parts of an inch ranging from 1/64” to 1” by sixty-fourth inch increments.
- The other side of the card has a small drawing that shows the wooden building occupied by Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island, in 1848. It also shows the plant at the time the table was distributed, when it occupied 33 acres.
- A mark on the back of the table reads: FORM 93 M.M.T. 7-43:100. Another mark reads: PRINTED IN U. S. A. This mark suggests that the card dates from 1943.
- This table was found in the collections of what was then the Division of Work and Industry at the National Museum of American History.
- Compare 1988.3078.02.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1943
- maker
- Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1988.3078.01
- catalog number
- 1988.3078.01
- nonaccession number
- 1988.3078
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Table of Decimal equivalents, the L. S. Starrett Co.
- Description
- Companies seeking to provide customers with advertisements they might consult repeatedly sometimes distributed convenient mathematical tables. This is an example of one of these. The small white plastic card has figures printed in black. The table gives decimal equivalents of parts of an inch ranging from 1/64” to 1” by sixty-fourth-inch increments.
- The other side of the card has three small drawings that show products of the L. S. Starrett Co. of Athol, Massachusetts. A mark on that side reads: THE TOOLS MECHANICS BUY (/) STANDARD FOR (/) ACCURACY, WORKMANSHIP, DESIGN, FINISH. A mark on the side of the card with the table indicates that it was made by Sanders Manufacturing Company of Nashville, Tennesee. That company has been in business since 1919.
- This table was found in the collections of what was then the Division of Work and Industry at the National Museum of American History.
- Compare 1988.3078.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1920-1960
- maker
- The L. S. Starrett Co.
- ID Number
- 1988.3078.02
- catalog number
- 1988.3078.02
- nonaccession number
- 1988.3078
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Hemmi Simplex Slide Rule Retailed by Post (1447)
- Description
- This ten-inch one-sided bamboo rule is coated with white celluloid only on the front. There is no indicator. 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 CI scale is numbered in red. The base is held together with a sheet of metal and with clear celluloid that has red hairlines at each end. The back of this metal and celluloid backing contains a chart on white plastic. The chart provides various relationships or conversions between the C and D scales as well as fundamental trigonometric relationships.
- The instrument is marked in red at the top center of the base: FREDERICK POST CO. 1447. It is marked in black at the top right: HEMMI JAPAN. The Post logo (in red) appears at the right side of the slide. The back is stamped with the date code TD, indicating the rule was manufactured in April 1969. The style of the Post logo is consistent with this date.
- The Frederick Post Company of Chicago imported slide rules made by the Japanese firm of Hemmi from about 1932 to the 1970s, with a brief interruption during World War II. Post sold Model 1447 from about 1949 to about 1971.
- Chemist Albert S. Matlack donated this slide rule. He recalled that it was mainly used by his laboratory technician at the Hercules Research Center in Wilmington, Del.
- References: International Slide Rule Museum, "Slide Rule Dates and Time-Lines," http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm; Drafting Materials for Engineering, Architecture, and Art by Post, 19th ed. (Chicago: The Frederick Post Co., 1949–1950), 68–69; Carmen Drahl, "The Guy With the Questions at NOS: Albert S. Matlack," 7 June 2011, http://cenblog.org/newscripts/2011/06/the-guy-with-the-questions-at-nos-albert-s-matlack/..
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1969-04
- maker
- SUN HEMMI JAPAN CF
- retailer
- Frederick Post Co.
- ID Number
- 1989.0032.02
- accession number
- 1989.0032
- catalog number
- 1989.0032.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Keuffel & Esser 4097C Ever-There Simplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This five-inch solid Xylonite (celluloid) slide rule is one of several "Ever-There" pocket slide rules made by Keuffel & Esser. This line was noted for its light weight and small size. There are A, D, and K scales on the base, with B, CI, and C scales on one side of the slide and S, L, and T scales on the other side of the slide. The glass indicator has a metal frame, plastic edges, and metal screws. The top of the base is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PAT. 1,875,927; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide is marked: < 4097C >.
- The back of the slide rule has a scale of 5 inches divided to sixteenths of an inch and a scale of 13 centimeters divided to millimeters. The left ends of the back of the rule and of the back of the slide are marked with a serial number: 38642. The rule fits in a leather sheath marked: K&ECO.
- After Adolf Keuffel applied for a patent on what became the Ever-There product line on October 29, 1930, K&E introduced this version of slide rule as model 4098 in 1931. It was renamed model 4097C in 1936 and was discontinued about 1951. With a case, it cost $4.15 in 1936 and $5.75 in 1949. By 1959, it was replaced by model 4153-1. Compare to 1981.0933.05 and 1981.0922.08. An instruction booklet, received separately, is 1981.0933.09.
- This example was given to the museum by Myron R. Smith (1911–2007), an electronics engineer who used it in a long career at Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids, Ia., then at Honeywell in Minneapolis, and then at Honeywell in Seattle. Smith used the rule to solve problems relating to the testing of broadcast equipment, the design of electronic temperature controls, the design of power transformers, and corporate management.
- References: Adolf W. Keuffel, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 1,875,927 issued September 6, 1932); Bob Otnes, "Adolf Keuffel and the Later K&E Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 8, no. 1 (1999): 37–38; K&E Slide Rules and Calculating Instruments (New York, 1931), 17; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 38th ed. (New York, 1936), 324; K&E Price List Applying to the 41st Edition Catalog (New York, 1949), 32; K&E Price List Applying to the 41st Edition Catalog (New York, 1951), 35; K&E Price List Applying to the 42nd Edition Catalog (New York, 1959), 73; accession file.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1936-1949
- maker
- Keuffel & Esser Co.
- ID Number
- 1989.0325.06
- accession number
- 1989.0325
- catalog number
- 1989.0325.06
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Hemmi 153 Duplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This bamboo rule is coated on both sides and its long outer edges with white celluloid. The rule is held together with metal posts. The glass indicator has a metal frame with bamboo and celluloid sides. The rule is marked in the lower right corner of the base front: "SUN" (between two drawings of the sun) (/) HEMMI (/) MADE IN JAPAN. The scales are 25 cm (9-7/8") long.
- Hemmi designed this model for electrical engineers. The front of the base has L, K, A, D, T, and Gθ scales. The front of the slide has B, CI, and C scales. The back of the base has θ, Rθ, P, LL3, LL2, and LL1 scales, with Q, Q', and C scales on the back of the slide. The P, Q, and θ scales were used for trigonometric relationships in right triangles and for hyperbolic functions. They were developed in 1929 for Hemmi rules and credited to Sadatoshi Betsumiya and Jisuke Miyazaki. These scales were not used in the West, and even Hemmi did not use these scales on all of its models.
- The rule is stored in a black rectangular cardboard box which is opened by removing the right end. This end is marked in silver: "SUN" (between two drawings of the sun (/) "HEMMI" BAMBOO (/) SLIDE RULE. There are two stars where the box joins together.
- Hemmi, a Japanese firm, manufactured this model of slide rule between 1933 and 1967. From 1942 through 1946, Hemmi exports to the English-speaking world were severely limited. From 1946 to 1950, Hemmi rules were marked, MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN. After 1950, Hemmi rules were stamped with codes indicating the year and month of manufacture. Hence, it seems likely that this rule was made between 1933 and 1942.
- Dr. Robert P. Multauf, who owned this rule, was an early director of the Museum of History of Science and Technology (later the National Museum of American History). Previously, he served in the U.S. Navy in postwar Japan.
- References: Brian Borchers and Noël H. Cotter, "The Sun Hemmi System of Trigonometric and Hyperbolic Scales," Journal of the Oughtred Society 9, no. 2 (2000): 28–31; Hisashi Okura, "Hyperbolic Scale Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,079,464 issued May 4, 1937).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1933-1942
- maker
- SUN HEMMI JAPAN CF
- ID Number
- 1989.0443.01
- catalog number
- 1989.0443.01
- accession number
- 1989.0443
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Otis King's Pocket Calculator Model L Cylindrical Slide Rule
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Advertising Pamphlet for Otis King's Pocket Calculator
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Spencer Microscope
- Description
- Until Charles A. Spencer began making microscopes in Canastota, New York, in 1838, the only high-quality microscopes available in the United States were imported from Europe. Spencer gained fame among American scientists for his fine objective lenses, which provided stronger magnification and sharper resolution than many European models. This brass monocular microscope, equipped with a mirror to reflect light through the slide, could be used with either a compound or a simple lens.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1849-1859
- associated dates
- 1990-04-10
- maker
- C. A. & H. Spencer
- ID Number
- 1990.0183.01
- catalog number
- 1990.0183.01
- accession number
- 1990.0183
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Sterling Metric Converter Slide Rule
- Description
- This ten-inch, one-sided plastic rule has a yellow base, a white slide, and a transparent indicator. Identical logarithmic scales are on the top and the bottom of the base. Both sides of the slide are marked with pairs of metric and conventional units. On one side, the user can read off conversions between: inches and centimeters; meters and feet; meters and yards; miles and kilometers; square inches and square centimeters; square meters and square feet (times ten); square meters and square yards; and square miles and square kilometers. The other side of the slide permits readings of cubic inches and cubic centimeters (times ten); cubic meters and cubic feet (times ten); cubic meters and cubic yards; liters and quarts; ounces and grams (times ten); kilograms and pounds; metric tons and short tons; and gallons and liters.
- The top left of the base is marked with the letters SP in a circle and the word STERLING. The top middle of the base is marked: METRIC CONVERTER. The bottom left of the base is marked: MADE IN U.S.A. The rule was received with its original packaging, a clear plastic cover on a blue paper backing. The packaging is marked at the top: SP STERLING #651 (/) metric (/) converter. At the bottom, it is marked: BORDEN ® (/) © 1972 STERLING PLASTICS (/) DIVISION OF BORDEN CHEMICAL, BORDEN INC. (/) MOUNTAINSIDE, N.J. 07092 (/) MADE IN U.S.A.
- Sterling Plastics, a 20th-century manufacturer of drawing instruments for schools, was purchased by Borden Chemical in 1970. Since Sterling stopped making slide rules in 1972, this example of model number 651 was probably one of the last rules produced by the company. The five braces holding together the base of the instrument are also consistent with this date; early Sterling slide rules had only two braces. For instructions, see 1990.0689.03. For a Sterling slide rule with standard scales, see 1988.0807.01.
- Reference: Mike Konshak, "Sterling Plastics," http://sliderulemuseum.com/Sterling.htm.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1972
- maker
- Sterling Plastics
- ID Number
- 1990.0689.01
- accession number
- 1990.0689
- catalog number
- 1990.0689.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Instructions for Sterling Metric Converter Slide Rule
- Description
- This one-page, two-sided flyer was received with 1990.0689.01. At the top of the front, it is marked with the Sterling Plastics logo and the words: STERLING metric converter (/) BASED ON THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI). The instructions explain how to read off the sixteen conversions between metric and English units that are found on the Metric Converter slide rule. Tables of metric prefixes and of common equivalents and conversions are also provided. At the bottom of the back, the flyer is marked: STERLING PLASTICS DIVISION OF BORDEN CHEMICAL, BORDEN INC. • SHEFFIELD ST., MOUNTAINSIDE, N.J. 07092 (/) PRINTED IN U.S.A. The Borden logo appears to the right of the mark.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1972
- maker
- Sterling Plastics
- ID Number
- 1990.0689.03
- accession number
- 1990.0689
- catalog number
- 1990.0689.03
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center