Cylindrical Slide Rules

Writing a logarithmic scale in a spiral that is then imprinted around the outside of a cylinder allows instrument makers to lengthen the scale. Since a logarithmic scale only needs to run to 10 twice to include all possible results from adding or subtracting two logarithmic numbers, this means that the distance between the points on the scale may be increased. When any two numbers on the scale are further apart, the user may read a fractional position between these numbers (expressed as a decimal) to a finer level of granularity. For example, on a 10" linear slide rule, results generally may be calculated to only three significant figures (0.123, 1.23, 12.3, 123, 1230, and so on). A cylindrical slide rule may provide results of up to seven significant digits (0.1234567, 1.234567, 12.34567, 123.4567, 1234.567, and so on).

On the other hand, cylindrical slide rules were typically about twice as expensive to produce as linear slide rules, and the provenances for the objects on this page indeed suggest that, in the main, only corporate and government offices could afford them. A number of the objects in this category were received with instruction manuals and advertising pamphlets, which may be viewed in the Index by Makers & Retailers. The collection includes multiple examples for several of the objects, as the 23 items below represent only eight different slide rules, half developed in Europe and half invented by Americans. The cylindrical slide rule by Edwin Thacher, a Pennsylvania railroad bridge designer, also illustrates the 19th-century shift in production from Europe to the United States, as originally William Ford Stanley's London firm made the entire instrument. Then, Keuffel and Esser of New York City began constructing the wooden drum and brass and wood stand while continuing to import the scales printed on paper and pasted around the drum. Finally, K&E developed its own dividing engine for printing the scales and henceforth manufactured the entire instrument in the United States.

In the mid-19th century, the expansion and regulation of American insurance companies created a need for numerous computations and a demand for instruments to assist in this process.
Description
In the mid-19th century, the expansion and regulation of American insurance companies created a need for numerous computations and a demand for instruments to assist in this process. Elizur Wright (1804–1885), one of the first insurance commissioners of Massachusetts, invented this large cylindrical slide rule, patented it in 1869, and sold it to insurance companies for $500.00. It is the equivalent of a linear slide rule more than 60 feet long.
The instrument consists of two adjacent cylindrical brass drums, each covered with paper and mounted horizontally in a round brass frame, which is screwed to a round wooden base. Two indentations in the side of the base assist with lifting the instrument. A crossbar attached to the frame extends across the length of the drums. Two indicators slide across a groove in the bar. A brass handle with an ivory knob on the right side of the frame rotates the drums. An ivory button on the left side of the frame operates a brake. When the button is locked in a vertical position, the two drums turn together. When the button is horizontal, only the right drum turns.
The two cylinders are marked identically. Each drum has a spiral of 20 turns, divided logarithmically (perhaps by pencil), with printed numbers to the right of each division. The first digit of a number is read from the crossbar, and the remaining three are printed on the drum. The markings include every digit from 0 to 3,000; every even digit from 3,000 to 6,000; and every other even digit from 6,000 to 10,000. The arithmeter arrived in a badly scratched wooden case that has two metal handles and a keyhole (but no key).
A metal plaque screwed to the base is marked: No 6 (/) ELIZUR WRIGHT'S (/) ARITHMETER (/) PATENTED AUG. 17TH 1869. (/) N.E.M.L.INS. CO. The New England Mutual Life Insurance Company (now New England Financial), a company with a long connection to Wright and his family, donated this example, one of ten known surviving arithmeters. Wright's son, Walter C. Wright, was the firm's chief actuary from 1866 to 1900. Wright was also a well-known abolitionist. Although this example cannot be definitively credited to him, Joseph W. Fowle, a Boston machinist who invented a rotating rock drill, is known to have built some arithmeters for Wright.
References: Elizur Wright, "Calculator" (U.S. Patent 93,849 issued August 17, 1869); Peggy A. Kidwell, "Elizur Wright's Arithmeter. An Early American Spiral Slide Rule," Rittenhouse 4 (1989): 1–4; Lawrence B. Goodheart, Abolitionist, Actuary, Atheist: Elizur Wright and the Reform Impulse (Kent, Ohio: The Kent State University Press, 1990), 149, 168; Naom Maggor, "Politics of Property: Urban Democracy in the Age of Capital, Boston 1865-1900" (Ph.D. diss., Harvard University, 2010).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1869
maker
Wright, Elizur
ID Number
1989.0366.01
catalog number
1989.0366.01
accession number
1989.0366
This is the U.S. patent model for a cylindrical slide rule invented by George Fuller (1829–1907), a British civil engineer and professor of engineering at Queen's College, Belfast. Fuller received patents in Great Britain (no. 1044) in 1878 and in the United States in 1879. W.
Description
This is the U.S. patent model for a cylindrical slide rule invented by George Fuller (1829–1907), a British civil engineer and professor of engineering at Queen's College, Belfast. Fuller received patents in Great Britain (no. 1044) in 1878 and in the United States in 1879. W. F. Stanley of London manufactured the rule from 1879 until 1975, and it was marketed in the United States by Keuffel & Esser, Dietzgen, and other dealers.
The model has a wooden handle and shaft, with a wooden cylinder that slides up and down the shaft. A paper covered with scales fits around the cylinder. The lower edge of the cylinder has a scale of equal parts. The remainder bears a spiral scale divided logarithmically. A rectangular clear plastic pointer has broken from its attachment on the handle and is tucked into a red ribbon tied around the cylinder. A paper patent tag is marked: No. 291.246; 1879 (/) G. Fuller. (/) Calculators. (/) Patented Sept 2. (/) 1879. A printed description from the patent application of April 16, 1878, is glued to the back of the tag. The tag is attached to the handle with a red ribbon.
L. Leland Locke, a New York mathematics teacher and historian of mathematics, collected this patent model and intended it for the Museums of the Peaceful Arts in New York City. When that institution encountered financial difficulties in 1940, Locke gave a collection of objects, including this model, to the Smithsonian Institution.
For production models of this instrument, see 313751, 316575, and 1998.0046.01.
References: George Fuller, "Improvement in Calculators" (U.S. Patent 219,246 issued September 2, 1879); The Report of the President of Queen's College, Belfast, for the Year Ending October, 1876 (Dublin, 1877), 9, 29–30, 107–110; James J. Fenton, "Fuller's Calculating Slide-Rule," Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 22 (1886): 57–61; Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 42–43.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1878
patentee
Fuller, George
maker
Fuller, George
ID Number
MA.311958
accession number
155183
catalog number
311958
This rule has a cylindrical hollow brass drum, which is covered with paper printed with 40 A scales. The first A scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The paper is also printed in italics on the right side: Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E.
Description
This rule has a cylindrical hollow brass drum, which is covered with paper printed with 40 A scales. The first A scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The paper is also printed in italics on the right side: Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E. Nov. 1st 1881. Divided by W. F. Stanley, London, 1882. A wooden handle is attached to each end of the drum, and the drum slides in both directions.
The drum fits inside an open rotating frame to which 20 brass slats are fastened. The slats are lined with cloth and covered with paper. The paper on each slat is printed with two B and two C scales. The first B scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The first C scale runs from 100 to 334; the fortieth runs from 308 to 325. The frame is attached to a mahogany base, and the object is housed in a mahogany case. A paper label appears to have been removed from the top of the case.
A paper of directions and rules for operating THACHER'S CALCULATING INSTRUMENT is glued to the top front of the base. A metal tag attached to the top back of the base is engraved: Keuffel & Esser (/) New York. The front right corner of the frame is stamped with numbers: 57 and 35. Presumably one of these is the serial number, but which one is not clear. In either case, the low number and the shape of the frame suggest that this example is the earliest Thacher cylindrical slide rule in the collections. Model 1740 sold for $30.00 in 1887.
Robert B. Steffes of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics donated this instrument to the Smithsonian in 1970.
See also MA.312866 and 1987.0107.08.
References: Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser (New York, 1887), 128. This was the first K&E catalog to list the model 1740.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1882-1887
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
Stanley, William Ford
ID Number
1987.0808.01
catalog number
1987.0808.01
accession number
1987.0808
In 1881, Edwin Thacher, a "computing engineer" for the Keystone Bridge Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received a patent for an improvement in slide rules. Thacher was a graduate of Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute who spent much of his career designing railway bridges.
Description
In 1881, Edwin Thacher, a "computing engineer" for the Keystone Bridge Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received a patent for an improvement in slide rules. Thacher was a graduate of Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute who spent much of his career designing railway bridges. To assist in his calculations, he designed a cylindrical slide rule. Thacher's rule, though it fit on a desk, was equivalent to a conventional slide rule over 59 feet long. It had scales for multiplication and division and another scale, with divisions twice as large, for use in finding squares and square roots. But it had no trigonometric scales.
To produce his "calculating instrument," Thacher turned to the London firm of W. F. Stanley. The company even designed a special dividing engine for preparing the scales for the instrument. These were printed on paper sheets, which were pasted to the drum and the slats. In this example, the paper is also printed in italics on the right side: Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E. Nov. 1st 1881. Divided by W. F. Stanley, London, 1882.
The drum is rotated with wooden handles. The cylinder of slats is held in place with a brass frame, which is affixed to a wooden base. A paper of DIRECTIONS AND RULES FOR OPERATING is lacquered to the front of the base. The rear of the base bears a small silver metal label engraved: Keuffel & Esser (/) New York. F. F. NICKEL is painted underneath the base.
Keuffel & Esser Company of New York sold versions of the Thacher cylindrical slide rule from at least 1883 until about 1950. There were two models, one with a magnifying glass (K&E model 1741, later K&E model 4013), and one without (K&E model 1740, later K&E 4012). This is a model 1740. The front right corner of the instrument's metal frame is engraved with the number 107. A paper K&E label on the inside lid of the instrument's mahogany case is marked in ink: 1740/661 (/) Thachers (/) Calculating (/)Instr. The top front of the bottom of the case is also carved with 661. In 1887, the model 1740 sold for $30.00.
Frank Ferdinand Nickel purchased this example around 1883 and donated it to the Smithsonian in 1945, through his son, Henry W. Nickel. The elder Nickel was born in Hanau, Germany, in 1857. He came to the United States around 1883 and worked as a mechanical engineer in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. He also taught at Columbia University in the 1910s. He wrote Direct-Acting Steam Pumps (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1915).
See also 1987.0107.08 and 1987.0808.01.
References: Edwin Thacher, "Slide-Rule" (U.S. Patent 249,117 issued November 1, 1881); "Thacher's Calculating Instrument or Cylindrical Slide Rule," Engineering News 16 (18 December 1886): 410; Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127; Wilfred Scott Downs, ed., "Nickel, Frank F.," Who's Who in Engineering, vol. 3 (New York, 1931), 957; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser (New York, 1887), 128. This was the first K&E catalog to list the model 1740.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1883
maker
Stanley, William Ford
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.312866
accession number
169701
catalog number
312866
This paper, brass, and wood cylindrical slide rule has 20 sets of A, B, and C scales, with each set 47 cm in length.
Description
This paper, brass, and wood cylindrical slide rule has 20 sets of A, B, and C scales, with each set 47 cm in length. The scales are printed on paper that is glued around a sliding brass drum (with wooden handles) and on brass slats that are attached to a round brass frame on either end. The frame is screwed to a wooden base. A sheet of instructions for THACHER'S CALCULATING INSTRUMENT is glued along the top front of the base.
The right side of the paper on the drum is marked in italics: Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E. Nov. 1st 1881. Divided by W. F. Stanley, London, 1882. Made by Keuffel & Esser Co. N.Y. A small silver metal tag affixed to the front right of the base is engraved: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (/) NEW-YORK (/) 663. Wayne Feely has suggested that K&E began manufacturing (as opposed to simply distributing) Thacher cylindrical slide rules in 1887, indicating 1887 is the earliest date for this example of the instrument. The latest date for the instrument is 1900, because K&E changed the design of the brass frame at that time.
The object is contained in a wooden case that bears no identifying marks. According to the accession file, the rule was found in a Smithsonian collections storage locker in the Arts & Industries Building about 1964.
See also MA.312866.
Reference: Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887-1900
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1987.0107.08
catalog number
1987.0107.08
accession number
1987.0107
In 1881, Edwin Thacher, a "computing engineer" for the Keystone Bridge Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received a patent for an improvement in slide rules. Thacher, a graduate of Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, spent much of his career designing railway bridges.
Description
In 1881, Edwin Thacher, a "computing engineer" for the Keystone Bridge Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received a patent for an improvement in slide rules. Thacher, a graduate of Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, spent much of his career designing railway bridges. To assist in his calculations, he designed a cylindrical slide rule. Thacher's rule, though it fit on a desk, was equivalent to a conventional slide rule over 59 feet long. The rule had scales for multiplication and division and another scale, with divisions twice as large, for use in finding squares and square roots. There were no trigonometric scales.
To produce his "calculating instrument," Thacher turned to the London firm of W. F. Stanley. The company even designed a special dividing engine for preparing the scales for the instrument. These were printed on paper sheets, which were pasted to the drum and the slats. In this example, the paper is also printed in italics on the right side: Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E. Nov. 1st 1881. Divided by W. F. Stanley, London, 1882. Made by Keuffel & Esser Co. N.Y. Wayne Feely has suggested that K&E began manufacturing (as opposed to simply distributing) Thacher cylindrical slide rules in 1887, indicating 1887 is the earliest date for this example of the instrument.
The drum is rotated with wooden handles. The cylinder of slats is held in place with a brass frame, which is affixed to a wooden base. A paper of DIRECTIONS AND RULES FOR OPERATING is glued to the front of the base. A small silver metal tag affixed to the front right of the base is engraved: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (/) NEW-YORK (/) 589. A metal extension on the front, screwed to both sides of the frame, bears a fixed holder and thumbscrew that once held a magnifying glass.
A paper K&E label on the inside lid of the instrument's mahogany case is marked in ink: 1741/589 (/) Thacher's (/) Calculating (/) Instr. The inside of the lid and the bottom of the base are both painted: M59. The back of the base is missing a chip 5 cm in length. The left and right sides of the case both bear labels marked in ink: INSTRUMENT (/) CALCULATING (/) THATCHER. A diagonal line is drawn through the second T in "Thatcher" on the right side.
Keuffel & Esser Company of New York sold versions of the Thacher cylindrical slide rule from at least 1883 until about 1950. There were two models, one with a magnifying glass (K&E model 1741, K&E model 4013 after 1900), and one without (K&E model 1740, later K&E 4012). This is a model 1741. In 1892, the model 1741 sold for $40.00. The Physics Department of the United States Military Academy transferred this example to the Smithsonian in 1958.
References: Edwin Thacher, "Slide-Rule" (U.S. Patent 249,117 issued November 1, 1881); Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127; Peggy Aldrich Kidwell, Amy Ackerberg-Hastings, and David Lindsay Roberts, Tools of American Mathematics Teaching, 1800–2000 (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008), 113–114; Wilfred Scott Downs, ed., "Nickel, Frank F.," Who's Who in Engineering, (New York, 1931), iii:957; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser (New York, 1892), 131. This was the first K&E catalog to list the model 1741.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890s
maker
Stanley, William Ford
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.315663
accession number
217544
catalog number
315663
This rule consists of an outer wooden cylinder that both slides up and down and rotates. Two brass rings lined with felt are inside this cylinder.
Description
This rule consists of an outer wooden cylinder that both slides up and down and rotates. Two brass rings lined with felt are inside this cylinder. The cylinder is covered with paper marked with a single spiral logarithmic scale graduated into 7,250 parts and having a length, according to the maker, of 500 inches (nearly 42 feet). Inside the outer cylinder is a longer wooden cylinder, covered with paper marked with decimal, conversion, and sine tables, and half-lined with felt. A solid mahogany handle is at one end. A brass index is screwed to the top of the handle. A second, longer brass index is screwed to the mahogany base and marked with a scale of equal parts used in finding logarithms. A third and removable brass cylinder is inside the instrument and attached to the base.
The tables on the middle cylinder include: decimal equivalents of feet and inches in feet; decimal equivalents of quarter weights and pounds in hundredweights; decimal equivalents of ounces and pounds in fractions of a pound; decimal equivalents of pounds, shillings, and pence in fractions of a pound; decimal equivalents of pence in shillings; days of the year as a fraction of the year; decimal equivalents of subunits of an acre; properties of various metals and woods; decimal equivalents of minutes of a degree in degrees; the Birmingham wire gauge; various conversion factors (mostly for weights and measures); and natural sines.
The outer, sliding cylinder is marked near the top: FULLERS SPIRAL SLIDE RULE. Near the bottom is marked: ENTD. STATS. HALL; STANLEY, Maker, LONDON. The bottom of the outer cylinder and the top of the long brass index are stamped: 858. According to Wayne Feely, the serial number 858 dates this instrument to 1895 or 1896.
The rule is in a rectangular mahogany case marked in script on the top: Calculator. A paper Keuffel & Esser label on the inside lid of the instrument's mahogany case is marked in ink: 1742 (/) Fuller's (/) Spiral (/) Slide Rule. Fuller's Spiral Slide Rule was first listed in Keuffel & Esser's 1895 catalog and sold for $28.00.
George Fuller, professor of civil engineering at Queen's University in Belfast, Ireland, patented this instrument in 1878. The Stanley firm made about 14,000 Fuller's spiral slide rules over nearly one hundred years, with K&E distributing a large share of the instruments sold in the United States. The Naval Engineering Division of the U.S. Coast Guard transferred this example to the Smithsonian in 1959. The Coast Guard engineers provided brief instructions:
"To calculate (5 X 6 X 4)/3 turn the outer cylinder until the first factor (5) is opposite the fixed pointer, set the slot in the movable indicator to read (0), turn the outer cylinder until the second factor (6) appears opposite the movable indicator. (The result will be found on the outer cylinder opposite the first indicator.) To multiply by the third factor (4), set the slot in the movable indicator to (0), turn the outer cylinder until the movable indicator indicates the third factor (4); (the result will be found opposite the fixed indicator.) To divide by (3) set the movable indicator to (3), turn outer cylinder until the slot in the movable indicator is (0) on the outer cylinder and the result will be found opposite the fixed pointer."
See also MA.311958, 1998.0046.01, and MA.313751.
References: William Ford Stanley, Surveying and Leveling Instruments, 3rd ed. (London, 1901), 542–543; Wayne E. Feely, "The Fuller Spiral Scale Slide Rule," Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50, no. 3 (1997): 93–98; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser (New York, 1895), 190.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1895-1896
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
Stanley, William Ford
ID Number
MA.316575
accession number
225751
catalog number
316575
This rule consists of an outer wooden cylinder that slides up and down and rotates. Two brass rings lined with felt are inside this cylinder.
Description
This rule consists of an outer wooden cylinder that slides up and down and rotates. Two brass rings lined with felt are inside this cylinder. The cylinder is covered with paper marked with a single spiral logarithmic scale graduated into 7250 parts and having a length, according to the maker, of 500 inches (nearly 42 feet). Inside the outer cylinder is a longer wooden cylinder, covered with paper marked with decimal, conversion, and sine tables. A solid mahogany handle is at one end. A third cylinder of brass is inside the instrument. A brass index is screwed to the top of the handle. A second, longer brass index is screwed to the mahogany base and marked with a scale of equal parts used in finding logarithms.
The tables on the middle cylinder include: decimal equivalents of feet and inches in feet; decimal equivalents of quarter weights and pounds in hundredweights; decimal equivalents of ounces and pounds in fractions of a pound; decimal equivalents of pounds, shillings, and pence in fractions of a pound; decimal equivalents of pence in shillings; days of the year as a fraction of the year; decimal equivalents of subunits of an acre; properties of various metals and woods; decimal equivalents of minutes of a degree in degrees; the Birmingham wire gauge; various conversion factors (mostly for weights and measures); and natural sines.
The outer, sliding cylinder is marked near the top: FULLERS SPIRAL SLIDE RULE. Near the bottom is marked: ENTD. STATS. HALL; STANLEY, Maker, LONDON. The bottom is stamped: 1099. The top of the long brass index is engraved: 1099 (/) 98. According to Wayne Feely, these numbers indicate the instrument has serial number 1099 and was made in 1898.
The rule is in a rectangular mahogany case marked in script on the top: Calculator. A blue sticker attached to the inside lid of the case reads: DRAWING MATERIAL (/) FRED. A. SCHMIDT. WASHINGTON D.C. (/) 516 (/) 9TH ST. (/) BRANCH (/) 1722 (/) PA. AVE. (/) TRADE MARK (beneath a drawing of intertwined dividers, right-angled ruler, and French curve). The inside of the lid is also stamped: MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN. A yellow rectangular label is printed: To H.M. Government Science & Art Depnt. Council of India, Admiralty, &c. (/) MADE BY (/) W. F. STANLEY, (/) Optical, Philosophical & Mathematical (/) INSTRUMENT MANUFACTURER, (/) ENGINE DIVIDER, &c. (/) MATHEMATICAL DEPARTMENT, GREAT TURNSTILE, HOLBORN, W.C.
George Fuller, professor of civil engineering at Queen's University in Belfast, Ireland, patented this instrument in 1878. The Stanley firm made about 14,000 Fuller's spiral slide rules over nearly one hundred years. According to Boyd's Directory of the District of Columbia, Fred A. Schmidt, vendor of draftsmen's supplies, moved from 504 9th Street N.W. to 516 9th Street, with a branch at 1722 Pennsylvania Avenue, between 1895 and 1900.
According to the donor, this example came from the family of her first husband, Fred Robert Troll (1920–1971), a sanitary engineer who attended Columbia University. The original purchaser may have been his father, Frank Troll, or his uncle, who was an artist who traveled frequently.
See also MA.311958, MA.316575, and MA.313751.
References: William Ford Stanley, Mathematical Drawing and Measuring Instruments, 6th ed. (London: E. & F. N. Spon, 1888), 248–249; W. F. Stanley, Surveying and Leveling Instruments, 3rd ed. (London, 1901), 542–543; Wayne E. Feely, "The Fuller Spiral Scale Slide Rule," Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50, no. 3 (1997): 93–98.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1898
maker
Stanley, William Ford
ID Number
1998.0046.01
catalog number
1998.0046.01
maker number
1008/98
accession number
1998.0046
This desktop slide rule is in a mahogany case. It has a cylindrical brass drum covered with paper printed with forty A scales. A wooden handle is fastened to each end of the drum. The drum fits in an open rotating brass frame; twenty brass slats span the frame.
Description
This desktop slide rule is in a mahogany case. It has a cylindrical brass drum covered with paper printed with forty A scales. A wooden handle is fastened to each end of the drum. The drum fits in an open rotating brass frame; twenty brass slats span the frame. The right side of the paper on the drum is printed in italics: Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E. Nov. 1st 1881. Divided by W. F. Stanley, London, 1882. Made by Keuffel & Esser Co. N.Y.
The slats are lined with cloth and covered with paper. Each slat is printed with two B and two C scales. The first A scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The first B scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The first C scale runs from 100 to 334; the fortieth runs from 308 to 305.
The front of the frame is spanned by a brass pyramidal bar. A brass and metal mount with three thumbscrews is attached to the bar. A magnifying glass found within the case may be positioned on the mount. The mount may be adjusted by height, and it slides along the bar.
The frame is screwed to a mahogany base. A paper with instructions is glued to the top front of the base. The top back of the base is engraved: KEUFFEL & ESSER Co (encircling N.Y.); 4013 (/) 2151; TRADE MARK (below the K&E lion logo). A paper K&E label loose inside the case is also stamped: No. 4013 (/) Serial 2151. A plastic label inside the case lid is imprinted: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (/) NEW YORK (/) ST. LOUIS CHICAGO (/) SAN FRANCISCO. An index card with the letter V and a rectangle drawn in red pencil is also loose inside the case.
The model number and shape of the frame indicate this instrument was manufactured after 1900. The serial number and evidence that Stanley was still dividing the scales for K&E suggest a manufacturing date before 1910–1915. (K&E began to divide and print its own scales in the 1910s and subsequently dropped the reference to Stanley from the drum.) In 1906, the model 4013 Thacher cylindrical slide rule sold for $45.00.
The object was received with MA.271855.01.03, Directions for Using Thacher's Calculating Instrument (1907), which is a reprint of a booklet Edwin Thacher first published in 1884. The object was also received with a cardboard exhibit label, MA.271855.01.02, indicating that the Armour Institute of Technology donated the object to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, which in turn donated it to the Smithsonian in 1966 with a large supply of electrical apparatus. In Chicago, according to pencil markings on the case, label, and booklet, the object's museum catalogue number was 39.168.
See also MA.315663.
References: Edwin Thacher, Thacher's Calculating Instrument or Cylindrical Slide-Rule (New York: Van Nostrand, 1884); Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser (New York, 1906), 314.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1900-1910
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.327886
accession number
271855
catalog number
327886
This rule consists of an outer wooden cylinder that both slides up and down and rotates. Two brass rings lined with felt are inside this cylinder.
Description
This rule consists of an outer wooden cylinder that both slides up and down and rotates. Two brass rings lined with felt are inside this cylinder. The cylinder is covered with paper marked with a single spiral logarithmic scale graduated into 7,250 parts and having a length, according to the maker, of 500 inches (nearly 42 feet). This length permitted computations up to four or five significant digits.
Inside the outer cylinder is a longer wooden cylinder, covered with paper marked with decimal, conversion, and sine tables. A solid mahogany handle is at one end. A brass index is screwed to the top of the handle. A second, longer brass index is screwed to the mahogany base and marked with a scale of equal parts used in finding logarithms. A third, removable, nickel-plated brass cylinder is inside the instrument and attached to the base. There is no case.
The tables on the middle cylinder include: decimal equivalents of feet and inches in feet; decimal equivalents of quarter weights and pounds in hundredweights; decimal equivalents of ounces and pounds in fractions of a pound; decimal equivalents of pounds, shillings, and pence in fractions of a pound; decimal equivalents of pence in shillings; days of the year as a fraction of the year; decimal equivalents of subunits of an acre; properties of various metals and woods; decimal equivalents of minutes of a degree in degrees; the Birmingham wire gauge; various conversion factors (mostly for weights and measures); and natural sines.
The outer, sliding cylinder is marked near the top: FULLERS SPIRAL SLIDE RULE. Near the bottom is marked: ENTD. STATS. HALL; STANLEY, Maker, LONDON. The bottom is stamped: 1389. The top of the long brass index is engraved: 1389 (/) 1901. According to Wayne Feely, these numbers indicate the instrument has serial number 1389 and was made by Stanley in 1901. A white celluloid tag affixed to the handle reads: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (/) ST. LOUIS. CHICAGO. (/) NEW YORK. (/) U.S.A. In the 1901 Keuffel & Esser catalog, Fuller's Spiral Slide Rule is listed as Model 4015 and priced at $30.00.
See also 311958, 1998.0046.01, and 316575.
References: Wayne E. Feely, "The Fuller Spiral Scale Slide Rule," Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50, no. 3 (1997): 93–98; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser (New York, 1901), 290; James J. Fenton, "Fuller's Calculating Slide-Rule," Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 22 (1886): 57–61; Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 42–43; George Fuller, Instructions for the Use of the Fuller Calculator (London: W. F. Stanley & Co., Ltd., [about 1950]), http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEManuals/4015/4015.htm. An 1879 first edition of the instructions manual was received with the instrument and is stored in the accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1901
inventor
Fuller, George
retailer
Keuffel & Esser Co.
maker
Stanley, William Ford
ID Number
MA.313751
catalog number
313751
maker number
1380/1901
accession number
179682
This instrument consists of a wooden cylinder covered with paper scales, wooden handles at the ends of the cylinder, and a metal sleeve lined with felt. The sleeve, which is painted maroon, holds the cylinder.
Description
This instrument consists of a wooden cylinder covered with paper scales, wooden handles at the ends of the cylinder, and a metal sleeve lined with felt. The sleeve, which is painted maroon, holds the cylinder. Running the length of the sleeve are a slot 1.5 cm wide and a paper scale.
The instrument is marked on the paper covering the cylinder: “WEBB’S STADIA SLIDE RULE”, (/) DESIGNED BY WALTER LORING WEBB, C. E. (/) MANUFACTURED BY KEUFFEL & ESSER CO., N.Y. It also is marked there: DIRECTIONS. SLIDE THE CYLINDER UNTIL ONE END OF THE CYLINDER IS SET AT THE DISTANCE MARK ON THE SCALE AND SO THAT THE GIVEN ANGLE OF ELEVATION ALSO COMES TO SOME PART OF THE SCALE. THE REQUIRED QUANTITY IS 1/10 (1/100 or 1/1000, AS SHOWN BY THE MARK ON CYLINDER) OF THE SCALE READING AT THAT ANGLE MARK.
The stadia slide rule was used in topographical surveying to determine the elevation and geographical position of points and objects. Initially, a chain and compass or transit had been used to determine geographical position, with a level employed to obtain relative elevations. Greater efficiency in these measurements was then found by using a plane-table.
In about 1864, the U.S. Lake Survey adopted a third system, first used in Italy about 1820. A stadia rod was placed at the point of interest and sighted through the telescope of a transit. The distance to this point was found by observing the portion of the graduated rod shown between certain cross-hairs of the telescope. To find the elevation of the point, one examined the vertical angle on the vertical circle of the transit when the telescope was aimed at a point on the stadia rod that was the same height off the ground as the telescope. A stadia slide rule was then used for data reduction.
Keuffel & Esser of New York introduced a 20-inch linear stadia slide rule in 1895. It sold under various model numbers (1749, 4101, N-4101) until 1952. In 1897, the firm introduced a 50-inch linear stadia slide rule designed by Branch H. Colby of St. Louis. Colby's stadia slide rule (model number 1749-3, later 4125) sold until 1903. Textbook authors such as John Butler Johnson endorsed the rule, but it was awkward to carry in the field.
Walter Loring Webb (1863–1941), a civil engineer who graduated from Cornell University and taught there and at the University of Pennsylvania, proposed a rule that had parallel scales arranged on a cylinder, reducing the length of the instrument to about 16 inches. K&E sold Webb's stadia slide rule for $5.00 from 1903 to 1923.
One end of the sleeve is painted: 1803. This may be an inventory number from the University of Missouri's Department of Civil Engineering, which donated the instrument in 1972. The university began teaching civil engineering in 1859, and its School of Engineering was renamed the College of Engineering in 1877.
See also 1983.0472.01. For circular stadia slide rules, see MA.336425, 1987.0221.01, and 2002.0282.01.
References: John Butler Johnson, The Theory and Practice of Surveying, 16th ed. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1908), 237ff; Walter Loring Webb, Railroad Construction: Theory and Practice, 7th ed. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1922), 22–23; Wayne E. Feely, "K & E Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 49, no. 5 (1996): 50–52; Catalogue and Price List of Keuffel & Esser Co., 31st ed. (New York, 1903), 308; Mark C. Meade, "A History of the College of Engineering at the University of Missouri – Columbia," Archives of the University of Missouri, http://muarchives.missouri.edu/c-rg9-eng.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1903-1923
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.333636
accession number
300659
catalog number
333636
This instrument consists of a wooden cylinder covered with paper scales, wooden handles at the ends of the cylinder, and a metal sleeve lined with felt. The sleeve, which is painted maroon, holds the cylinder. A slot 1.5cm wide and a paper scale run the length of the sleeve.
Description
This instrument consists of a wooden cylinder covered with paper scales, wooden handles at the ends of the cylinder, and a metal sleeve lined with felt. The sleeve, which is painted maroon, holds the cylinder. A slot 1.5cm wide and a paper scale run the length of the sleeve. For detailed information, see MA.333636. The only difference between the instruments is that the sleeve on this example has been decoratively painted in gold. Keuffel & Esser of New York sold this model for $5.00 from 1903 to 1923.
The School of Forestry of the University of Montana in Missoula donated this example to the Smithsonian in 1983. The School of Forestry was established at the State University of Montana (later Montana State University, now the University of Montana) in 1913. By 1921, courses taught in the school of forestry included—subject to student demand—a course on the slide rule. The course covered the theory and use of the Mannheim, Stadia, Polyphase, and Log rules.
References: State University of Montana, Annual Catalogue (Missoula, 1921), 125; "The Jack Burton Collection," Journal of the Oughtred Society 2, no. 1 (1993): 15–18; Bob Otnes, "The 31st (1903) and 32nd (1906) Editions of the K&E Catalogue" Journal of the Oughtred Society 11, no. 2 (2002): 24–32; Bob Otnes, "Keuffel & Esser Slide Rules 1909" Journal of the Oughtred Society 12, no. 1 (2003): 25–32.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1903-1923
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1983.0472.01
catalog number
1983.0472.01
accession number
1983.0472
This desktop slide rule is in a wooden case that is significantly deteriorated on its inside. The rule has a cylindrical brass drum covered with paper printed with forty A scales. A wooden handle is fastened to each end of the drum.
Description
This desktop slide rule is in a wooden case that is significantly deteriorated on its inside. The rule has a cylindrical brass drum covered with paper printed with forty A scales. A wooden handle is fastened to each end of the drum. The drum fits in an open rotating brass frame; twenty brass slats span the frame. The right side of the paper on the drum is printed in italics: Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E. Nov. 1st 1881. Divided by W. F. Stanley, London, 1882. Made by Keuffel & Esser Co. N.Y.
The slats are lined with cloth and covered with paper. Each slat is printed with two B and two C scales. The first A scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The first B scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The first C scale runs from 100 to 334; the fortieth runs from 308 to 305.
The frame is screwed to a mahogany base. A paper with instructions is glued to the top front of the base. An ivory label for Keuffel & Esser Co. is screwed to the front right corner. The top back of the base is engraved: KEUFFEL & ESSER Co (encircling N.Y.); 4012 (/) 1689; TRADE MARK (below the K&E lion logo). Another ivory K&E label is fastened inside the lid of the case. A paper K&E label pasted inside the lid is stamped in faded purple ink: No. 4013 (/) Serial 1689. Written in pencil is: Mar 22/07.
The Thacher cylindrical slide rule was sized for a desk, but its scales were equivalent to those on a conventional slide rule over 59 feet long. It had scales for multiplication, division, and squares and square roots. There were no trigonometric scales.
Keuffel & Esser sold model 4012 from 1900 to about 1950. The markings and serial number indicate this example dates to 1907. Model 4012 cost $35.00 in 1909. The U.S. Department of Agriculture transferred this example to the Smithsonian in 1964.
See also MA.312866, MA.326628, and MA.323504.
References: Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 33rd ed. (New York, 1909), 304.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1907
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.322730
accession number
252315
maker number
1689
catalog number
322730
This desktop slide rule is in a mahogany case. It has a cylindrical brass drum covered with paper printed with forty A scales. A wooden handle is fastened to each end of the drum. The drum fits in an open rotating brass frame; twenty brass slats span the frame.
Description
This desktop slide rule is in a mahogany case. It has a cylindrical brass drum covered with paper printed with forty A scales. A wooden handle is fastened to each end of the drum. The drum fits in an open rotating brass frame; twenty brass slats span the frame. The right side of the paper on the drum is printed in italics: Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E. Nov. 1st 1881. Made by Keuffel & Esser Co. N.Y.
The slats are lined with cloth and covered with paper. Each slat is printed with two B and two C scales. The first A scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The first B scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The first C scale runs from 100 to 334; the fortieth runs from 308 to 305.
The front of the frame is spanned by a brass pyramidal bar. A brass and metal mount with three thumbscrews is attached to the bar. The mount may be adjusted by height, and it slides along the bar. A magnifying glass was supposed to be positioned on the mount. A brass handle is in the case, but the round glass part is missing.
The frame is screwed to a mahogany base. A paper with instructions is glued to the top front of the base. The top back of the base is engraved: KEUFFEL & ESSER Co (encircling N.Y.); 4013 (/) 3419; TRADE MARK (below the K&E lion logo). A square off-white label inside the lid is printed: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (/) NEW YORK HOBOKEN, N.J. (/) CHICAGO ST. LOUIS SAN FRANCISCO MONTREAL (/) DRAWING MATERIALS, SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS (/) MEASURING TAPES (/) No. 4013 (/) SERIAL 3419. Writing on masking tape attached to the top and the front of the case has been covered with black marker. This writing may read in part 6825 and represent the inventory number at the Interstate Commerce Commission, which transferred the object to the Smithsonian in 1962. The Smithsonian catalog number is written on the top of the case in black marker: 321-789.
Keuffel & Esser Company of New York sold versions of the Thacher cylindrical slide rule from about 1883 until about 1950. There were two models, one with a magnifying glass (K&E model 1741 before 1900, K&E model 4013 after) and one without (K&E model 1740 before 1900, K&E model 4012 after). This is a model 4013; the serial number suggests it was manufactured around 1915. The marking on the core also no longer references W. F. Stanley, the English firm that originally manufactured the instrument for sale by K&E. Stanley continued to provide the engine-divided scales after K&E began making the rest of the instrument in 1887. K&E took over printing the scales in the 1910s. Model 4013 sold for $45.00 in 1913.
Compare markings on the core to MA.315663. See also MA.327886 and 1996.3079.01.
References: Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co. (New York, 1913), 294.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1915
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.321789
accession number
246883
catalog number
321789
This desktop slide rule has a cylindrical brass drum covered with paper printed with 40 A scales. A wooden knob is fastened to each end of the drum. The drum fits in an open rotating brass frame; 20 brass slats span the frame.
Description
This desktop slide rule has a cylindrical brass drum covered with paper printed with 40 A scales. A wooden knob is fastened to each end of the drum. The drum fits in an open rotating brass frame; 20 brass slats span the frame. The right side of the paper on the drum is printed in italics: Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E. Nov. 1st 1881. Made by Keuffel & Esser Co. N.Y.
The slats are lined with cloth and covered with paper. Each slat is printed with two B and two C scales. The first A scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The first B scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The first C scale runs from 100 to 334; the fortieth runs from 308 to 305.
The front of the frame is spanned by a brass pyramidal bar. A brass and metal mount with three thumbscrews is attached to the bar. The mount may be adjusted by height, and it slides along the bar. A magnifying glass was to be positioned on the mount, but it is missing in this example.
The frame is screwed to a mahogany base. A paper with instructions is glued to the top front of the base. The top back of the base is engraved: KEUFFEL & ESSER Co (encircling N.Y.); 4013 (/) 3518; TRADE MARK (below the K&E lion logo). A sticker on the back of the base is marked: DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (/) 6076 – AMS. This rule was found in the Smithsonian collections, but it was presumably associated with the Agricultural Marketing Service, an agency established within the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1939. The rule may have been purchased earlier but not inventoried, since AMS was preceded by several government bureaus, including the Office of Markets, which was founded in 1913.
Keuffel & Esser Company of New York sold versions of the Thacher cylindrical slide rule from about 1883 until about 1950. There were two models, one with a magnifying glass (K&E model 1741 before 1900, K&E model 4013 after) and one without (K&E model 1740 before 1900, K&E model 4012 after). This is a model 4013; the serial number suggests it was manufactured around 1915 and after MA.321789. The marking on the core also no longer references W. F. Stanley, the English firm that originally manufactured the instrument for sale by K&E. Stanley continued to provide the engine-divided scales after K&E began making the rest of the instrument in 1887. K&E took over printing the scales in the 1910s. Model 4013 sold for $45.00 in 1913.
Compare markings on the core to MA.315663. See also MA.327886.
References: Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co. (New York, 1913), 294; National Archives, "Records of the Agricultural Marketing Service [AMS]," Guide to Federal Records, Record Group 136, http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/136.html; "Agricultural Marketing Service," Allgov: Everything Our Government Really Does, http://www.allgov.com/Agency/Agricultural_Marketing_Service__.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1915
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1996.3079.01
catalog number
1996.3079.01
nonaccession number
1996.3079
maker number
3518
The brass core of this cylindrical slide rule is covered by paper marked with forty A scales. The core fits in an open rotating frame that holds twenty metal slats; each slat is lined with cloth, covered with paper, and marked with two B and two C scales.
Description
The brass core of this cylindrical slide rule is covered by paper marked with forty A scales. The core fits in an open rotating frame that holds twenty metal slats; each slat is lined with cloth, covered with paper, and marked with two B and two C scales. Wooden knobs on each end of the core rotate the instrument. The frame is attached to a mahogany base.
The first A scale runs from 100 to 112 and the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The first B scale runs from 100 to 112, the last from 946 to 100 to 105. The first C scale runs from 100 to 334, the last from 308 to 305. The paper covering the core is also printed in italics on the right side: Made by Keuffel & Esser Co., New York; Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E. Nov. 1st., 1881.
The paper of instructions and rules for operating THACHER'S CALCULATING INSTRUMENT, normally glued to the top front of the base, is coming loose and is torn on this example. A large chip is also missing from the left handle. The top back of the base is stamped: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (encircling N.Y.); 4012 (/) 4218; TRADEMARK (below the K&E logo of a lion).
Keuffel & Esser sold versions of the Thacher cylindrical slide rule from about 1883 until about 1950. There were two models, one with a magnifying glass (K&E model 1741 before 1900, K&E model 4013 after) and one without (K&E model 1740 before 1900, K&E model 4012 after). This is a model 4012; the serial number suggests it was manufactured around 1915. The marking on the core also no longer references W. F. Stanley, the English firm that originally manufactured the instrument for sale by K&E. Stanley continued to provide the engine-divided scales after K&E began making the rest of the instrument in 1887. K&E took over printing the scales in the 1910s. Model 4012 sold for $35.00 in 1916, $60.00 in 1922, and $70.00 in 1927.
Compare markings on the core to MA.322730. See also MA.312866 and MA.326628.
References: Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules and Calculating Instruments (New York, 1916), 22; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules and Calculating Instruments (New York, 1922), 21; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules and Calculating Instruments (New York, 1927), 20.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1915
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.323504
accession number
251559
maker number
4218
catalog number
323504
The brass core of this cylindrical slide rule is covered with paper marked with forty A scales. The core fits in an open rotating frame that holds twenty metal slats; each slat is lined with cloth, covered with paper, and marked with two B and two C scales.
Description
The brass core of this cylindrical slide rule is covered with paper marked with forty A scales. The core fits in an open rotating frame that holds twenty metal slats; each slat is lined with cloth, covered with paper, and marked with two B and two C scales. Wooden knobs on each end of the core rotate the instrument. The frame is attached to a mahogany base.
The first A scale runs from 100 to 112; the fortieth runs from 946 to 100 to 105. The first B scale runs from 100 to 112, the last from 946 to 100 to 105. The first C scale runs from 100 to 334, the last from 308 to 305. The paper covering the core is also printed in italics on the right side: Made by Keuffel & Esser Co., New York; Patented by Edwin Thatcher [sic], C.E. Nov. 1st., 1881.
A paper of instructions and rules for operating THACHER'S CALCULATING INSTRUMENT is glued to the top front of the base. The top back of the base is stamped: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (encircling N.Y.); 4012 (/) 4917; TRADEMARK (below the K&E logo of a lion).
The instrument is stored in a mahogany rectangular case. A square off-white label inside the lid is printed: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (/) NEW YORK HOBOKEN, N.J. (/) CHICAGO ST. LOUIS SAN FRANCISCO MONTREAL (/) DRAWING MATERIALS, SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS (/) MEASURING TAPES (/) No. 4012 (/) SERIAL 4917.
Keuffel & Esser sold versions of the Thacher cylindrical slide rule from about 1883 until about 1950. There were two models, one with a magnifying glass (K&E model 1741 before 1900, K&E model 4013 after) and one without (K&E model 1740 before 1900, K&E model 4012 after). This is a model 4012; the serial number suggests it was manufactured around 1920. Model 4012 sold for $35.00 in 1916, $60.00 in 1922, and $70.00 in 1927.
The National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology) declared this object excess property and transferred it to the Smithsonian in 1965. In 1968, the Department of Commerce borrowed the slide rule to exhibit in the U.S. Pavilion at HemisFair, an international exposition held in San Antonio, Tex. According to the accession file, a staffer replaced four missing screws on the base before returning the rule.
See also MA.312866; MA.323504; and MA.322730.
References: Wayne E. Feely, "Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rules," The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association 50 (1997): 125–127; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules and Calculating Instruments (New York, 1916), 22; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules and Calculating Instruments (New York, 1922), 21; Keuffel & Esser Co., Slide Rules and Calculating Instruments (New York, 1927), 20.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.326628
accession number
261654
maker number
4917
catalog number
326628
This large cylindrical slide rule consists of an aluminum frame supporting a horizontal rotating aluminum drum. Paper covering the drum is marked with 60 logarithmic C and D scales that are 20.5" long and run from 1,000 to 10,000.
Description
This large cylindrical slide rule consists of an aluminum frame supporting a horizontal rotating aluminum drum. Paper covering the drum is marked with 60 logarithmic C and D scales that are 20.5" long and run from 1,000 to 10,000. Each scale repeats part of the previous scale, so the instrument is approximately equivalent to a linear slide rule 50 feet (or 15m) long. A slotted cylindrical sleeve that is 13" long fits over the drum. It slides back and forth. The right end of the sleeve is secured in an aluminum ring. The ring and sleeve can rotate independently of each other.
The sleeve's 60 slats are marked with logarithmic scales that run from 100 to 1,000. Four small clear celluloid triangles attached to the slats serve as indicators. Black bands on either side of the drum and on the left side of the sleeve are marked with numbers from 1,000 to 9,623. The bands on the sleeve were originally covered with clear celluloid.
The side pieces of the frame are both marked: LOGA. The ends of the drum are both marked: LOGA-CALCULATOR • ZURICH. The band on the right side of the sleeve is marked: Loga - Calculator 15m Patente Daemen Schmid, Uster - Zürich.
The Swiss firm of Heinrich Daemen-Schmid manufactured approximately 30,000 cylindrical Loga-Calculators between 1900 and 1935. Daemen-Schmid patented the device in the United States in 1912. The donor, Jacques Kayalaff (1898–1983), was an international banker who used this instrument for calculations relating to currency exchange. He purchased it around 1925 for $500.
References: Accession File; Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 42, 44; Heinrich Daemen-Schmid, "Computing Device" (U.S. Patent 1,036,575 issued August 27, 1912); Heinz Joss, "350 Jahre Rechenschieber, und was die Region Zürich dazu beigetragen hat (350 Years of Slide Rules, and What the Zurich Region Has Contributed)," Vierteljahreszeitschrift der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Zürich 146, no. 2–3 (2001): 75–82, http://www.rechenschieber.org/zurich.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1925
maker
Daemen-Schmid
ID Number
MA.335255
catalog number
335255
accession number
316433
This slide rule consists of two white celluloid bands, each about one inch wide and twenty inches long, that revolve within an elliptical brown and black Bakelite case. The case has clear plastic windows on both sides. Five green indicator lines appear on each of the windows.
Description
This slide rule consists of two white celluloid bands, each about one inch wide and twenty inches long, that revolve within an elliptical brown and black Bakelite case. The case has clear plastic windows on both sides. Five green indicator lines appear on each of the windows. The bands are printed with identical logarithmic scales; the left is marked A, and the right is marked B. Two knurled knobs rotate the bands. Large round metal pins inside the knobs can be locked to force the bands to rotate in unison.
The instrument fits in a brown canvas bag. When it was received, it had a sticker on one side, near the base, that read: PAISLEY (/) MODEL (/) A (/) PITTSBURGH. Both sides near the base read: PAISLEY CALCULATOR. Both sides of the case are marked: PAT.APP.FOR. Both bands are marked: ©1940—PAISLEY CALCULATOR COMPANY, INC. The edge of the A band is also marked: TAPE NO. 3; BASTIAN BROS. CO. ROCHESTER N.Y. Company and union logos appear on either side of the second mark.
James R. Paisley of Pittsburgh, Pa., copyrighted the A and B scales of the Paisley Calculator on February 23, 1939. The Paisley Calculating [sic] Company of Pittsburgh copyrighted the phrase, "Paisley calculator a whiz at figures," on March 23, 1939. A James R. Paisley died in Pittsburgh on March 2, 1960, while the Social Security Death Index indicates that there was a man named James R. Paisley who lived from 1901 through 1987, dying in Wheeling, W. Va., in 1987.
No patents associated with Paisley or the Paisley Calculator Company have been located, nor have any advertisements other than a new product notice issued by Office Machines Research, Inc., in 1939. Although this notice indicated the instrument would be made in Carnegie, Pa., presumably Paisley arranged for production with Bastian Brothers of Rochester, N.Y., which has been manufacturing lapel pins, medals, and commemorative items since 1895. The slide rule was expected to sell for $25.00. Since there is so little documentation for the instrument, it likely was produced only for a short time. Thus, this example was probably made near the 1940 copyright date shown on it.
References: Office Machines Research, Inc., "Preliminary Report on a New Product," American Office Machines Research Service 1 (October 1939): section 4.2; Library of Congress, Catalog of Copyright Entries . . . for the Year 1939 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1940), 410, 633; Wayne Feely, "The Paisley Slide Rule," The Chronicle of the Early American Industry Association 49, no. 4 (1996): 113; Tom and Nancy McAdams, "Woodlawn Cemetery Section 3," Woodlawn Cemetery Association, Pittsburgh, Pa., October 2000, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tandnmca/woodlawn/sec3ntoz.html; "Bastian Company Profile," http://www.bastiancompany.com/about.shtml.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940
maker
Bastian Brothers Company
ID Number
1987.0183.01
catalog number
1987.0183.01
accession number
1987.0183
This cylindrical calculating rule was designed to solve problems in spherical trigonometry encountered in navigation.
Description
This cylindrical calculating rule was designed to solve problems in spherical trigonometry encountered in navigation. For example, it could be used to compute the altitude and azimuth of a celestial body, knowing the latitude of the observer and the hour angle and declination of the body. Such a slide rule was patented by the Englishman Leonard C. Bygrave in 1921. This example, serial number 90143, was manufactured in Germany by Dennert and Pape at about the time of World War II.
The instrument consists of three concentric cylinders. The innermost cylinder can be extended, and the outermost cylinder then slides up and down on part of the extended tube. Tightening a knob at the top fixes the relative position of the two inner cylinders. The innermost cylinder has a helical scale divided from 0 to 90 degrees (also from 180 down to 90). The middle cylinder has a helical scale marked from 0 to 90 and also from 145 to 90. At the bottom, the middle cylinder has instructions for using the instrument. The outermost cylinder has two marks for reading results, declination tables, formulas, and a window that allows for reading the second scale. The instrument fits in a cylindrical metal case painted black and lined with cloth near the top.
This object was found in the Naval History collections of the National Museum of American History some time before August 1984.
References: U.S. Hydrographic Office, American Practical Navigator (Washington, D.C., 1958), 559; L. C. Bygrave, "Improvements in Calculating Apparatus," (U.K. Patent 162,895 issued May 12, 1921); Serge Savoysky, "Calcul de navigation: État courant de l'étude de l'hélice logarithmique MHR1 de Dennert et Pape," http://serge.savoysky.pagesperso-orange.fr/Calcul%20de%20navigation,%20v2%20(WEB).pdf.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940
maker
Dennert and Pape
ID Number
2005.0271.03
accession number
2005.0271
catalog number
2005.0271.03
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.
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 and equivalent to a linear slide rule 66 feet in length. 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.
The end of the cylinder is engraved: MADE IN (/) ENGLAND. 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: T/0503. Engraved by hand (and upside-down to the serial number) is: C73.
The instrument is stored in a rectangular black cardboard box. A label on one end reads: Otis King's (/) Calculator (/) Model "L" (/) No. T0503. The slide rule arrived with instructions, 1987.0788.06, and an advertising flyer, 1987.0788.07. See also 1989.3049.02 and 1981.0922.09.
Otis Carter Formby King (b. 1876) of Coventry, England, received a British patent (183,723) for this instrument on August 31, 1922, and in 1923 he received patents 207,762 and 207,856 for improvements to the slide rule. From London, King filed a U.S. patent application, which he assigned to Carbic Limited, the London manufacturer of the slide rule, when that patent was granted in 1927. With co-inventor Bruce Hamer Leeson, King received U.S. Patent 1,820,354 for an "electrical remote control system" on August 25, 1931.
The serial number indicates that this example of Otis King's calculator was manufactured around 1960 to 1962. Howard Irving Chapelle (1901–1975), a naval architect, maritime historian, and curator of what was then the National Museum of History and Technology, donated it to the Smithsonian around 1969 to 1970.
References: Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 274, 281; Otis Carter Formby King, "Calculating Apparatus," (U.S. Patent 1,645,009 issued October 11, 1927); 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
1960-1962
maker
Carbic Limited
ID Number
1987.0788.01
catalog number
1987.0788.01
accession number
1987.0788
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.
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
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.
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 telescoping rule is ten inches long when extended and equivalent to a rectangular slide rule 66 feet in length. 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 engraved: MADE IN (/) Y9481 (/) ENGLAND.
Otis Carter Formby King invented this form of slide rule in 1921, and Carbic Limited of London, England, manufactured it until 1972. The serial number, Y9481, suggests a date about 1965–1969 for this example. A collector of computing devices donated it to the Smithsonian.
See also 1987.0788.01 and 1989.3049.02. For documentation, see 1981.0922.10 and 1981.0922.11.
References: Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 274, 281; Otis Carter Formby King, "Calculating Apparatus," (U.S. Patent 1,645,009 issued October 11, 1927); 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
ca 1965-1968
maker
Carbic Limited
ID Number
1981.0922.09
catalog number
1981.0922.09
accession number
1981.0922

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.