Notched Band Adders

Building on ideas of Perrault and de Caze, in an instrument patented in Russia in 1847 Kummer replaced the wooden rods on an adder with metal bands notched on each side. Kummer’s idea was adopted by the Frenchman Troncet, who published what he called an Arithmographe in the 1890s. Adders with notched bands became the most common form of the instrument sold in the United States in the 20th century.

These stylus-operated instruments generally had a crook at the top of each column, to allow one to move adjacent bands in carrying (or, in some cases, borrowing) a digit. They were manufactured around the world. Occasionally, notched band adders were combined with a slide rule, to ease multiplication and division. A special form of the instrument, designed for computer programmers, aided calculations in base 60 rather than usual decimal arithmetic.

After World War II, inexpensive adders were produced in both Europe and Asia. This example has 8 notched bands on the front, with space at the top of each band for carrying and at the bottom for borrowing.
Description
After World War II, inexpensive adders were produced in both Europe and Asia. This example has 8 notched bands on the front, with space at the top of each band for carrying and at the bottom for borrowing. Totals of up to 9 digits appear in round openings above the bands.The front is ferrous metal painted gold, black, and white. The back is black plastic. A metal stylus for entering numbers is on the right and a zeroing bar extends across the top.
A mark at the top of the adder reads: W CALCULATOR. A mark below the bands reads: ADD (/) SUBTRACT (/) MULTIPLY. A mark at the bottom of the back reads: MADE IN WEST GERMANY.
The object was collected by the donor.
Compare to adders MA.336448 and 1980.0787.01, which sold as Wizard calculating machines.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1955
ID Number
2013.0197.01
accession number
2013.0197
catalog number
2013.0197.01

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