Manuals & Documentation

An image of various slide rules from the collection of the Division of Medicine and Science at the National Museum of American History.

Keuffel & Esser, Pickett, Dietzgen, and other major slide rule companies often included an instruction manual in the purchase of the instrument. Some donors have provided these booklets and other paper items, such as advertising flyers, directions for cleaning slide rules, warranty certificates, and even cash register receipts. The Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago previously owned and displayed one of the Thacher cylindrical slide rules, and it arrived with its exhibit label. To see the instruction manuals alongside the objects they explained, please see the index by makers & retailers page.

Search term: *:* Resource Type: Booklets Clear All

How to Use a Slide Rule

The citation information for this eighteen-page booklet is: How to Use a Slide Rule (Chicago: Eugene Dietzgen Co., 1942). After a description of the features of the slide rules sold by Dietzgen, the booklet gives a tour of the slide rule for beginners.
Description
The citation information for this eighteen-page booklet is: How to Use a Slide Rule (Chicago: Eugene Dietzgen Co., 1942). After a description of the features of the slide rules sold by Dietzgen, the booklet gives a tour of the slide rule for beginners. Instructions are provided for reading a basic set of Mannheim scales, such as those on MA.335270. Sample problems in multiplication, division, square roots, proportion, and trigonometry are solved. Additional scales, such as K and CI, are briefly described.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1942
maker
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
1981.0933.07
accession number
1981.0933
catalog number
1981.0933.07

Keuffel & Esser Analon Slide Rule Instruction Manual and Related Documentation

This green hardcover instruction manual, lifetime guarantee certificate, and leaflet on "How to Take Care of Your Slide Rule" were received with MA.333923. The citation information for the manual is: Michael P.
Description
This green hardcover instruction manual, lifetime guarantee certificate, and leaflet on "How to Take Care of Your Slide Rule" were received with MA.333923. The citation information for the manual is: Michael P. Smyth, Analon Engineering – Science Analysis Slide Rule Instruction Manual (New York: Keuffel & Esser, 1967). A scan is found at "Keuffel & Esser, Specialty Slide Rules," International Slide Rule Museum, http://sliderulemuseum.com/KE_Specialty.htm. Smyth taught electrical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. The manual describes the Analon slide rule; defines dimensions, units, and dimensional analysis; suggests applications; and provides practice problems.
The certificate has model number S22-4. The model number for the leaflet about caring for a K&E slide rule is S14-5. The leaflet is small (4 X 3 inches) and was copyrighted in 1944, 1949, 1958, and 1962. Users were to clean the slide rule only with a moistened cloth. Instructions are provided for adjusting and aligning the slide rule.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1967
author
Smyth, Michael P.
publisher
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.304347.02
accession number
304347
catalog number
304347.02

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.