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 239 items.
Page 5 of 24
Instruction Manual for Keuffel & Esser Polyphase Duplex Pocket Slide Rule
- Description
- This 70-page booklet was received with 1993.0357.01. The book explains how to operate model 68–1555, which was model 4168 before 1962. Its citation information is: Keuffel & Esser Polyphase Duplex Pocket Slide Rule . . . Instruction Manual, 2nd ed. (New York: Keuffel & Esser Co., 1947). Presumably only the cover and illustration of the slide rule were updated in the 1960s. Topics covered include: multiplication and division, proportion, squares and square roots and cubes and cube roots, and plane trigonometry. Answers are provided at the back.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1960s
- maker
- Keuffel & Esser Co.
- ID Number
- 1993.0357.01.01
- accession number
- 1993.0357
- catalog number
- 1993.0357.01.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Dietzgen 1771 Redirule Simplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This one-sided, five-inch white molded plastic rule has a plastic indicator with a hairline and plastic edges. A, D, and K scales are 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 top and bottom edges are beveled, with a scale of 5 inches divided to 32nds of an inch on the top and a scale of 12.5 centimeters divided to millimeters on the bottom. The top of the base is marked (in red): No. 1771 REDIRULE ® DIETZGEN MADE IN U.S.A. Three screws for adjusting the rule are on the back of the instrument. The rule fits in a brown leather sheath marked: DIETZGEN. The sheath fits in an orange paper box marked on each end: DIETZGEN Redi-Rule ® (/) 5 INCH POCKET SLIDE RULE (/) Molded Plastic, Leather Sheath 1771. The rule was received with an instruction manual, 1993.0357.02.01.
- According to records of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Eugene Dietzgen Company began using the phrase REDIRULE to describe slide rules in 1944, applied for a trademark on the term in 1947, and received the trademark in 1953. According to Peter Hopp and Bruce Babcock, Dietzgen manufactured model 1771 of the Redirule or Redi-rule from 1941 to 1972. (Another Redirule, model 1776, had an additional six scales and metal endpieces.) Dietzgen's catalog for 1948–1949 describes model 1771 as "a real pocket companion" that "weighs no more than your pen."
- References: Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 160; Bruce Babcock, "Dietzgen Catalog Matrix," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/Dietzgen_CatalogMatrix_BruceBabcock1996_chart.jpg; Dietzgen Redirule Instruction Manual (Chicago: Eugene Dietzgen Co., n.d.), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/M12_Dietzgen_1776_redirule_ref-P023.jpg; Ovid W. Eshbach and H. Loren Thompson, Self-teaching Instruction Manual: Dietzgen Decimal Trig Type Log Log Slide Rule (Chicago: Eugene Dietzgen Co., 1960), 107–108; http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/Dietzgen_1734_Manual.pdf.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1953-1972
- maker
- Eugene Dietzgen Company
- ID Number
- 1993.0357.02
- accession number
- 1993.0357
- catalog number
- 1993.0357.02
- 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
Pickett N1010-T Duplex Slide Rule
- Description
- This ten-inch aluminum linear slide rule is coated with white plastic (the "traditional" color). It has a nylon indicator and is held together with stamped aluminum squared posts. The front of the base has K, A, D, and DI scales, with B, ST, T, S, and C scales on the slide. The left end of the slide is marked: MODEL (/) N1010-T (/) TRIG. The left end of the slide bears the style of Pickett logo used between 1958 and 1962. The number 74 appears above the logo.
- The back of the base has DF, D, DI, and L scales, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The left end of the slide is marked: COPYRIGHT 1959 © (/) PATENT APPLIED FOR. The right end of the slide is marked: PICKETT & ECKEL, INC. (/) 272.
- The slide rule fits into a clear plastic bag and then into an orange-brown leather case lined in clear plastic. The triangular Pickett logo is embossed below the slot for the case's flap, and there is a metal ring on the back of the case for attaching to a belt. The slide rule arrived in a white, black, red, and yellow cardboard box. The 1958-1962 Pickett logo is superimposed on a model of the atom on the box. The top and bottom of the box are marked with several of the instrument's selling points: lifetime accuracy, all metal permanence; select a handy pocket size rule too (/) matched for your convenience by Pickett; micro divided scales; world's most accurate; safety liner case; completely guaranteed; complete instruction manual; slider tension springs.
- Inside the box are four pieces of paper: a welcome note from company president John W. Pickett, marked Form 247; care instructions for the rule, marked Form 543; a guarantee, which indicates this instrument has serial number 252372; and a promotional flyer on Pickett's "eye-saver" yellow color, marked Form 225-A. See 1993.0559.01.01 for an instruction manual received in the box. One end of the box is marked: Pickett SLIDE RULE (/) all metal • guaranteed (/) A PRODUCT OF AMERICAN ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING. The other end of the box has a product label, which notes the Model N-1010-T Trig Slide Rule has the: Approved Scale Arrangement for basic work in all fields (Schools, Business, Industry) where Log Log scales are not needed.
- The logo, nylon indicator with flat lens, straight style of posts, and company addresses in Chicago and Alhambra, Calif., are all consistent with a date around 1960. However, according to the donor, the slide rule was given to him by his parents as a Christmas gift in 1944.
- References: Alan Boardman, "Recollections of a Pickett Industries Employee," Journal of the Oughtred Society 16, no. 2 (2007): 8; Walter Shawlee, "Pickett Slide Rules," http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/pickett.html; Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 75–76.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1960
- maker
- Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated
- ID Number
- 1993.0559.01
- accession number
- 1993.0559
- catalog number
- 1993.0559.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Pickett Trig Slide Rule Instruction Manual
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Hemmi-Sun Mannheim Slide Rule
- Description
- This small (4-inch) one-sided rule is bamboo with a metal backing, entirely covered with white celluloid. A magnifying glass indicator has a metal frame. There are A and D scales on the base. The slide has B and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The lower edge of the base has a scale of centimeters divided to millimeters. The upper edge of the base has a scale of inches divided to thirty-seconds of an inch.
- The D scale is marked at each end: Quot (/) +1; Prod (/) -1. The back of the slide rule is marked: "SUN" (between two drawings of the sun); HEMMI; MADE IN JAPAN. A brown leather case is stamped in gold on the flap: BAMBOO (/) SLIDE RULE (/) "SUN" (between two drawings of the sun) (/) HEMMI. Written in pen inside the flap is: BOB YINGLING.
- According to the donor, a colleague used this slide rule in a training program at the American Brass Company Division of Anaconda Mining Company in Waterbury, Conn., in the 1940s. He used it for such problems as calculating the weight of samples from their volume and density.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1940
- maker
- SUN HEMMI JAPAN CF
- ID Number
- 1995.0087.01
- accession number
- 1995.0087
- catalog number
- 1995.0087.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Mannheim Slide Rule
- Description
- This small, one-sided slide rule is made of wood. It has a white plastic layer on the front of both the base and the slide. The indicator is made from plastic. The base bears A, D, and K scales. The slide bears B, CI, and C scales. The scales are approximately 4-1/8 inches long. The slide is slightly longer than the base. The back of the slide rule is bare boxwood and has no scales.
- The instrument is marked on the slide: MADE IN (/) ENGLAND. It closely resembles the 4-inch Jiffy slide rule made by Unique Slide Rule Company of Brighton, England. Unique sold slide rules from about 1923 to 1975.
- References: Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 229–231; "British Slide Rules," The Slide Rule Museum, http://sliderulemuseum.com/British.htm; David M. Riches, Mathematical Instruments: A Private Collection, http://www.mathsinstruments.me.uk/page14.html; Peter Hopp, Colin Barnes, and John Knott, "Unique Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 6, no. 1 (1997): 32–44.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 1995.0087.02
- accession number
- 1995.0087
- catalog number
- 1995.0087.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Pickett Decimal-Keeper Slide Rule Instructions
- Description
- This twelve-page booklet was received with 1995.0126.01. Titled "How To Use Decimal-Keeper Slide Rules," it is another of the instruction manuals Maurice L. Hartung wrote for Pickett & Eckel, Inc., a slide rule manufacturer based in Chicago and Alhambra, Calif. Hartung explained how Pickett had reduced the scales on slide rules in the Decimal-Keeper line so that one ten-inch Decimal-Keeper became equivalent to twenty ordinary ten-inch linear slide rules. These reduced scales are the scales marked with asterisks on Decimal-Keeper slide rules.
- There are also instructions for locating the proper section of the scale, carrying out division, computing trigonometric functions, calculating roots, finding logarithms, and adjusting and cleaning the slide rule. The booklet is undated. Separately, it sold for 50 cents and had model number M-17.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1960
- maker
- Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated
- ID Number
- 1995.0126.04
- accession number
- 1995.0126
- catalog number
- 1995.0126.04
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Charpentier Calculimetre Multidisc Circular Slide Rule
- Description
- This brass circular slide rule is the size and shape of a pocket watch. The base is a silver-colored disc surrounding a rotating brass ring. The silver-colored indicator, which moves the brass ring and a forked pointer screwed to the center of the instrument, is attached to a small suspension ring. The indicator extends around the back of the instrument for use in reading the scales inscribed there.
- Three scales are on the front: two logarithmic scales on the outermost rings (the equivalent of D and C scales on a linear slide rule) and a two-part scale for square roots around the silver-colored circle at the center (corresponding to the A scale on a linear slide rule). Around the center is engraved: CALCULIMETRE G. CHARPENTIER; BREVETÉ S.G.D.G. The serial number 35 is engraved below "Charpentier." The back of the instrument bears a scale of equal parts, a logarithmic scale, and an innermost scale of equal parts. The indicator arm is engraved: FRANCE.
- Around 1882, G. Charpentier patented this design in France (as indicated by the "breveté" mark) and Great Britain. Several French instrument makers manufactured the device. In the United States, the Calculimetre was retailed for $5.00 by Keuffel & Esser from 1895 to 1927 and by Dietzgen from 1904 to 1931. According to the donor, John W. Olson, a Wall Street investment banker and collector of "unusual items" named Edward Hamilton Leslie purchased this slide rule around 1925.
- References: Robert K. Otnes, "The Charpentier Calculator," Journal of the Oughtred Society pilot issue, vol. 0, no. 0 (1991): 9–11; Florian Cajori, A History of the Logarithmic Slide Rule and Allied Instruments (New York: Engineering News Publishing Company, 1909), 94; Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 81, 161, 193; Catalogue & Price List of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 7th ed. (Chicago, 1904), 174; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 33rd ed. (New York, 1909), 307.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1925
- designer
- Unlinked Name
- ID Number
- 1995.0261.01
- accession number
- 1995.0261
- catalog number
- 1995.0261.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Concise 270 Circular Slide Rule
- Description
- This pocket-sized white plastic duplex circular slide rule has a clear plastic indicator that folds over the edge to serve both sides. It is held together with a metal pivot. The front base has L and D scales, with C, CI, A, and K scales on a sliding disc that fits inside the base. The center of the rotating disc is marked: CIRCULAR CONCISE SLIDE RULE (/) NO. 270 (/) MADE IN JAPAN. Near the center of both sides of the rule, the donor has scratched: SACK. The back base has DI and D scales, with S, T1, T2, and ST scales on the inset sliding disc.
- The instrument was received with a clear plastic sleeve, a black vinyl case, and an undated instruction manual. The sleeve is marked: Concise (/) No. 270. As of 2012, Concise continues to manufacture plastic circular slide rules, including models 28N and 270N. The company operated under the name Concise Co., Ltd., which appears on the instruction manual, from 1959 to 1966. The donor, Michael Sackheim, reported that he purchased this rule for calculating during his school days but got little use out of it.
- For other slide rules by Concise, see 1985.0636.02, 2003.0012.01, and 2006.0173.01.
- References: "Concise Circular Slide Rule," http://www.concise.co.jp/eng0731/circle02.html#02; accession file.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1959-1966
- maker
- Concise
- ID Number
- 1996.0141.01
- catalog number
- 1996.0141.01
- accession number
- 1996.0141
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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