Computers & Business Machines

• 

  Remington Rand Univac Minimum Latency Calculator Slide Rule

  Description

  This circular device was an aid to programming the UNIVAC solid state computer. It consists of a paper disc, with equal divisions running from 1 to 200 near the edge, and a clear plastic rotating disc. These are pivoted together at the center. The upper disc is marked in red with two perpendicular diameters. The lower disc is marked: MINIMUM LATENCY CALCULATOR FOR THE UNIVAC SOLID-STATE COMPUTER. The UNIVAC had a magnetic storage drum on which locations were specified numerically. The latency calculator allowed programmers to write code for the machine to make the most efficient possible use of the drum memory.

  The back of the instrument gives a list of instruction codes and corresponding execution times for words. It is marked: Remington Rand Univac. It is also marked: U1767 Rev. 1 PRINTED (/) IN (/) U.S.A. The rule was received in a paper bag.

  Reference: Sperry Rand Corporation, Simple Transition to Electronic Processing, UNIVAC Solid-State 80, (1960), 18–26.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  after 1950

  maker

  Remington Rand Univac

  ID Number

  2005.0271.01

  accession number

  2005.0271

  catalog number

  2005.0271.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Dietzgen 1767 National Simplex Slide Rule

  Description

  In the 1950s, several manufacturers sold inexpensive plastic slide rules for use by students. This one-sided, ten-inch example, sold by the Chicago firm of Dietzgen has K, S, A, D, T, and L scales on the base. B, CI, and C scales are on the slide. The rule has a clear plastic frameless indicator with a hairline and black plastic endpieces. The top right corner of the base is marked: NATIONAL. Both ends of the slide are marked: DIETZGEN (/) NO. 1767. Both ends of the bottom of the base are marked: MADE (/) IN (/) U. S. A. A cream-colored synthetic leather case is marked: R. LAWSE. The rule was received with an instruction manual, 1988.0367.02.

  According to Peter Hopp and Bruce Babcock, Dietzgen manufactured model 1767 from 1955 to 1959. An earlier version of the National, the 1767P, had a different set of scales. It was manufactured from 1941 to 1952 and sold in 1952 for $1.75 or $18.25 for a dozen.

  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.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1955-1959

  maker

  Eugene Dietzgen Company

  ID Number

  1988.0367.01

  accession number

  1988.0367

  catalog number

  1988.0367.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Dietzgen 1735 Maniphase Multiplex Vector Slide Rule

  Description

  This two-sided, ten-inch wooden slide rule is coated with yellowed plastic and has metal endpieces. A glass indicator is cracked on both sides and has metal and black plastic edges marked: DIETZGEN. On one side, the base has L, LL1, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales, with CF, CIF, LCI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked in red: DIETZGEN MANIPHASE MULTIPLEX VECTOR TYPE LOG-LOG RULE CAT. NO. 1735.

  On the other side, the base has LL0, LL00, A, D, Th, Sh2, and Sh1 scales, with B, T, ST, and S scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked: EUGENE DIETZGEN CO. PATS. 2,170,144 2,285,722 MADE IN U.S.A. 108821. The top edge of the rule is marked in script: Dom Petrone. The bottom edge is marked: DP.

  An orange leather case is marked on the flap: K+E. The front of the case is marked: P. Inside the flap is marked: GWU (/) Gerald (/) PETRONE (/) U of Md (/) Easton MD (/) MIT (/) PETRONE, RA. Lines 1–3, 4–5, and 6–7 are each in different inks and handwriting.

  The Eugene Dietzgen Company of Chicago offered model 1735 from 1941 to 1952. "Maniphase" refers to an arrangement of scales in which the company added K and CI scales to Mannheim rules; the word is printed on several slide rules sold by the Eugene Dietzgen Company. This rule is similar to 1986.0790.01, but it has hyperbolic tangent and sine scales on the back of the base instead of DI and K scales.

  Three U.S. Naval Academy professors applied for the patents mentioned on this slide rule in 1937 and 1938. These patents dealt with arranging and coloring scales so that problems could be solved in the fewest steps; they were also cited on Keuffel & Esser slide rule models 4080 and 4801. (See 1992.0437.01, 2007.0181.01, MA.318482, MA.334387, 1990.0687.01, and 1986.0790.03.)

  According to the donor, the rule was purchased by his uncle, Rocco Anthony Petrone (1926–2006), while he was studying for a master's degree in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1950 and 1951. After graduation he developed rockets for the U.S. Army. From 1966 to 1975, Petrone held various leadership positions at NASA, including director of the Apollo program (1969–1973).

  Petrone passed the slide rule on to his brother, Dominic J. Petrone, who earned a BS in electrical engineering from Union College in 1950. Dominic gave the rule to his son, Gerald Petrone, who studied engineering at George Washington University in 1969 and subsequently at the University of Maryland at College Park. Gerald broke the indicator and acquired the replacement now on the instrument. He then passed the instrument to his brother, donor David Petrone, who studied electrical engineering at UMCP from 1971 to 1974. At some point, the original case was also replaced with a case from Keuffel & Esser. Several of the Petrones who used the slide rule marked it or the case with their name or initials.

  References: Bruce Babcock, "Dietzgen Catalog Matrix," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/Dietzgen_CatalogMatrix_BruceBabcock1996_chart.jpg; William K. Robinson, "Slide Rules with Hyperbolic Functions," Journal of the Oughtred Society 14, no. 1 (2005): 55–62; Robert Otnes, "Dietzgen Patents, Runners, and Log Log Scales," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996): 45–48; Lyman M. Kells, Willis F. Kern, and James R. Bland, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,170,144 issued August 22, 1939), and "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,285,722 issued June 9, 1942); accession file; "Candidates for Union College Degrees," Evening Recorder, Amsterdam, N.Y. (June 8, 1950), 5.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1950-1951

  maker

  Eugene Dietzgen Company

  ID Number

  2013.0040.01

  accession number

  2013.0040

  catalog number

  2013.0040.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Keuffel & Esser 4054 Polyphase Mannheim Simplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This ten-inch mahogany linear slide rule is coated with white celluloid on the front and on both sides of the slide. The base has A, D, and K scales. One side of the slide has B, CI, and C scales; the other side has S, L, and T scales. A paper table of equivalents and slide rule settings, based on U. S. Bureau of Standards Circular No. 47, is pasted to the back of the rule. See also 1981.0933.05 and 1999.0254.01. The indicator is glass with a plastic frame, of the style used by Keuffel & Esser after the 1937 patent indicated by the mark on the top edge of the frame: PATENT 2,086,502. A piece of the bottom edge of the frame is missing.

  The top of the base is marked in red: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PAT. 1,934,232, MADE IN U.S.A. The patent was issued in 1933 and refers to an improvement in assembling the instrument so that users could not as easily over-tighten the screws used to adjust the rule. The right end of the slide is marked in red with the model number: < 4054 >. The left end of the back of the slide and the front left corner of the base are marked with a serial number: 120337.

  The rule fits in a cardboard case covered with black leather. The top of the flap is marked: K & E (/) SLIDE RULE. The front of the flap is marked: 4054 (/) K + E. The case fits into a dark green cardboard box. Also inside the box is K&E pamphlet no. 3-44, titled "How to take care of your K & E slide rule: Mannheim" and copyrighted in 1944. Keuffel and Esser of New York sold this version of model 4054 from 1944 through 1952; the serial number is consistent with a date closer to 1944. The price in 1947 was $9.00. This example was purchased by the donor's grandfather, Abraham Nezin (1891–1987), when he took a course on operating new equipment obtained for his laundry on South Capital Street in Southwest Washington, D.C.

  References: Adolf W. Keuffel, "Slide Rules," (U.S. Patent 1,934,232 issued November 7, 1933); Adolf W. Keuffel, "Runner for Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,086,502 issued July 6, 1937); Bob Otnes, "Adolf Keuffel and the Later K&E Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 8, no. 1 (1999): 37–38; Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4054 Family," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4054family.htm; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," 27 December 2000, http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1944-1952

  maker

  Keuffel & Esser Co.

  ID Number

  2001.0117.01

  accession number

  2001.0117

  catalog number

  2001.0117.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Kegelman Stadia Reduction Computer Circular Slide Rule

  Description

  This white plastic circular rule has a clear plastic indicator attached with a metal grommet in the center. The rule has scales of H (horizontal factor), theta (vertical angle), and V (vertical factor). A diagram on the instrument gives the formulas for these factors. The instrument is marked: KB (/) STADIA REDUCTION COMPUTER (/) KEGELMAN BROS. (/) HUNTINGDON VALLEY PA. (/) COPYRIGHT, 1956 (/) BY WILLIAM KEGELMAN P.E. It is in a cream-colored paper envelope stamped: WILLIAM KEGELMAN (/) 393 COUNTY LINE ROAD (/) HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA.

  George Kegelman (1900–1985) began his career with Heller & Brightly of Philadelphia. He established his own shop around 1943 and began to work with his brother, William (1907–1985). In 1951, the pair formed Kegelman Brothers, which became best known for its Model 101 engineers transit. William Kegelman received a copyright (A245443) for this device, which was intended to process readings taken with the transit, on July 9, 1956.

  For other slide rules for reducing data from observations made with stadia rods, see MA.333636, 1977.1141.41, 1983.0472.01, 1987.0221.01, and 1987.0221.02.

  References: Robert C. Miller, "George Kegelman and Kegelman Brothers: Mathematical and Optical Instrument Makers," Rittenhouse 5 (1991): 56–58; Charles E. Smart, The Makers of Surveying Instruments in America Since 1700 (Troy, N.Y.: Regal Art Press, 1962–1967); Catalog of Copyright Entries: Books and Pamphlets, 3rd ser. 10 (1956): 324, 1161; Kegelman Bros., Instruction Manual for Engineers Transit (Hunting[d]on Valley, Pa., 1957) 9–10 (see 2001.0282.02).

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  after 1956

  maker

  Kegelman Bros.

  ID Number

  2001.0282.01

  accession number

  2001.0282

  catalog number

  2001.0282.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Pickett & Eckel Model 2 Deci Log Log Duplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This 10-inch duplex slide rule is made from a magnesium alloy coated with white celluloid. It has a flat glass indicator with metal sides and stainless steel end posts. One screw on the back bottom side is missing. The top side is engraved with a serial number: CO24920.

  The front of the rule has nine D scales, four also labeled 1/N, one also labeled Co, and four also labeled N. The two groups of four scales are extended and folded, so that for reading off logarithms, the rule is the equivalent of a rule 80" long. The slide has CF, CI, and C scales.

  The slide has several markings above the scales. The first marking reads: INTERNATIONAL (/) COPYRIGHT 1947 (/) U.S.A. COPYRIGHT 1947 (/) R. C. PICKETT, A. F. ECKEL (/) CHICAGO, U.S.A. Second, there is a table for Digits or Zero for Sine and Tangent and a table for the number of digits in a result found on the C scale. Third, a logo inside an oval reads: DECI• (/) LOG LOG (/) Trade Mark. Fourth is another table for whether a result has zeroes or digits in results for squares, cubes, and roots. The fifth marking reads: THE NUMBER OF ZEROS IS (/) ONE LESS THAN THE ABSO- (/) LUTE VALUE OF THE NEGA- (/) TIVE CHARACTERISTIC. (/) EXAMPLE: 10-5 = .00001. The sixth marking reads: THE NUMBER OF DIGITS IS (/) ONE GREATER THAN THE (/) POSITIVE CHARACTERISTIC. (/) EXAMPLE: 105 = 100,000. Finally, a mark at the right end of the slide reads: PATENTS PENDING (/) MADE IN U.S.A. (/) PICKETT & ECKEL, INC. (/) CHICAGO 3, U.S.A. (/) MODEL 2.

  The back of the rule has three cube root scales, an L scale, a D scale, and two square root scales. The scales for roots are folded, so that the rule is the equivalent of 60" in length for cube roots and 20" in length for square roots. The slide has two T scales and ST, S, CI, and C scales. The left side of the slide is marked: INTERNATIONAL (/) COPYRIGHT 1945 (/) U.S.A. COPYRIGHT 1945 (/) R.C. PICKETT, A. F. ECKEL (/) CHICAGO, U.S.A.

  Arthur Frederick Eckel (1894–1960) and Roswell Colvert Pickett (1892–1969) partnered in Chicago in 1943 to manufacture slide rules. By 1946, they had transitioned from paper slide rules to magnesium, and Pickett established a branch of the company in Alhambra, Calif. In 1947, Maurice L. Hartung, a University of Chicago professor who helped Pickett & Eckel market their products to schools, described the Model 2 in How to Use the Deci-Log Log Slide Rule (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, 1947). A copy of this pamphlet is 1979.0601.04. Eckel received four of the patents mentioned as "pending" on the object in 1948 and 1949. He left the company around that time, and his name was removed from slide rules by 1950. Thus, this example was probably made between 1946 and 1950.

  Indeed, the donor, Frank M. Graves, reported that he used this rule as a college student. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Syracuse University in 1949.

  The rule fits in a brown leather case marked on the flap with "Pickett" in script over a triangular logo. A belt loop on the back of the case is marked: SADDLE (/) LEATHER. The logo was used by the company from 1950 to 1958, so the case may be a replacement. The style of the belt loop, though, differs from the ring construction depicted in Pickett's 1953 catalog. In 1953, Model 2 and its case sold for $21.35.

  References: Arthur F. Eckel, "Decimal Point Locator for Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,446,696 issued August 10, 1948), "Calculator and Decimal Point Locator (U.S. Patent 2,466,883 issued April 12, 1949), "Slide Rule," (U.S. Patent 2,466,983 issued April 12, 1949), "Interchangeable Scale for Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,491,650 issued December 20, 1949); Pickett All-Metal Slide Rules and "Retail Price List-Catalog," (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, February 1, 1953); International Slide Rule Museum, "Pickett All-Metal Slide Rules," http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm#Pickett; Accession File.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1946-1950

  maker

  Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated

  ID Number

  1979.0601.02

  catalog number

  1979.0601.02

  accession number

  1979.0601

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Kegelman Instruction Manual for Engineers Transit

  Description

  This 20-page booklet was received with 2001.0282.01. Surveyors used stadia computers to reduce the data they collected from making observations with a transit and a stadia rod, to determine the vertical angle of elevation and the horizontal distance of the stadia rod.

  William Kegelman, who manufactured transits with his brother and partner, George, from about 1944 to 1988, copyrighted a "stadia reduction computer" in 1956. This device is described on pages 9–10 of the booklet; the booklet's citation information is Kegelman Bros., Instruction Manual for Engineers Transit (Hunting[d]on Valley, Pa., 1957).

  Reference: Robert C. Miller, "George Kegelman and Kegelman Brothers: Mathematical and Optical Instrument Makers," Rittenhouse 5 (1991): 56–58.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  copyright date; date made

  1957

  maker

  Kegelman Bros.

  ID Number

  2001.0282.02

  accession number

  2001.0282

  catalog number

  2001.0282.02

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Charvoz-Roos SR-104 Simplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This ten-inch wooden one-sided rule is painted white. A, D, and K scales are on the base; B, CI, and C scales are on the front of the slide; and S, L, and T scales are on the back of the slide. The top of the base is marked in red: No. SR-104 CHARVOZ-ROOS MADE IN U. S. A. On the back of the base are tables of equivalents and settings that show where to place the slide in order to convert between various units, such as from centimeters to inches. There is no indicator. The instrument fits in a black paper case that was once coated with synthetic leather.

  Brief articles in the New York Times indicate that the firm of Charvoz-Roos was formed in New Jersey in 1946 and apparently closed in 1953. See also 2009.3008.01. This company rebranded slide rules by other manufacturers and assembled slide rules from parts made by other manufacturers. This rule resembles a rule made by the Lawrence Engineering Service (1983.0042.01), but the tables on the back are like those based on National Bureau of Standards Circular No. 47 that Keuffel & Esser put on its rules from the 1920s to the 1950s. See 1984.1068.01. Although 1987.0184.01 is a painted wooden rule with these tables, the style of the letters and pi symbols on the scales are different from those on this rule.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1946-1953

  maker

  Charvoz-Roos

  ID Number

  2009.3008.02

  nonaccession number

  2009.3008

  catalog number

  2009.3008.02

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Charles Bruning 2401 Simplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This one-sided, five-inch white molded plastic linear slide rule has a glass indicator with a metal frame. The top edge is beveled and has a 12.5 cm scale, divided to millimeters. The top of the base has an A scale and is marked: CHARLES BRUNING CO. It is also marked: MADE IN U.S.A. The slide has B, CI, and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The left end of the front of the slide is marked: 2401. The bottom edge of the rule is beveled and has a five-inch scale, divided to 32nds of an inch. Three screws on the back of the rule permit the top of the base to be adjusted.

  The instrument fits in a brown leather sleeve, which in turn fits in a red cardboard box. The box is marked: BRUNING (/) [Bruning logo of CB inside a diamond] (/) CHARLES BRUNING COMPANY, INC. A slip of paper inside the box advertises a magnifier that could be ordered for 60 cents from any of fourteen Bruning branch offices located across the United States. For an instruction manual received with the instrument, see 1991.0445.03.01.

  Charles Bruning (1866–1931) was born in Denmark and immigrated to the United States. In Chicago during the 1890s, he became interested in the blueprint business. In 1897 he set up his own blueprinting company in Manhattan, which was incorporated at the New York Blue Print Paper Company in 1901. Around 1920 he purchased American Blue Print Company of Chicago, and the combined firms became known as the Charles Bruning Company, Inc. The company's 1921 catalog lists eleven slide rules, although it is unclear whether any of these were actually manufactured by Bruning. By 1936 a new system of numbering was introduced. It assigned different model numbers to slide rules sold with different types of cases. This increased the number of model numbers to 14, but only 8 of these appear to be distinct. By 1952 most slide rules sold by Bruning were all-metal slide rules manufactured by Pickett & Eckel. This all-plastic rule is an exception.

  The instruction manual was copyrighted in 1944. This model is not shown in the 1939 Bruning catalog. By 1952 the indicator was of a different form. Hence, this rule likely dates from 1944 to 1951. The Charles Bruning Company merged with the Addressograph-Multigraph Corporation in 1963.

  References: New York Blue Print Paper Company, Catalog (New York, 1921), 155–157; "Charles Bruning," New York Times (January 31, 1931), 14; Charles Bruning Company, Inc., General Catalog (New York, 1936), 130–134; Charles Bruning Company, Inc., General Catalog (New York, 1939), 146–152; Charles Bruning Company, Inc., General Catalog (Teterboro, N.J. and Chicago, 1952), 121.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1944-1951

  maker

  Charles Bruning Company

  ID Number

  1991.0445.03

  accession number

  1991.0445

  catalog number

  1991.0445.03

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Novotni Weight Slide Rule

  Description

  This black Bakelite instrument is held together with metal screws. It calculates the weight of metal required by a blacksmith, foundry worker, shopkeeper, or similar worker, given the dimensions and shape of a metal part to be produced. The top of the base has a logarithmic scale that gives the thickness of the part in inches. There are two slides. The upper slide has a logarithmic scale of widths (in inches) along its upper edge and a logarithmic scale of lengths (in inches or feet) along its lower edge.

  The upper edge of the lower slide has two scales for possible metals, one for lengths measured in inches, one for lengths in feet. The metals are copper, brass, steel, cast iron, lead, aluminum, and water. The lower edge indicates the shape of the piece. The bottom of the base has a logarithmic scale that gives the weight in pounds.

  The center top of the base is marked: WEIGHT SLIDE RULE. The bottom left corner is marked: Novotni (/) Slide Rule (/) Media, Pa. The bottom right corner is marked: Patented (/) Others Pending.

  John L. Novotni (1893–1966), a blacksmith of Czech descent, is listed in the 1920 census as working in a foundry in Delaware County, Penn. In the 1910s, he worked at an automobile and wagon repair shop in Oaklyn, N.J., with Andrew W. Kelly and John Hornyak, who received a patent for this design in 1917 and sold it as the Kelkay Weight Slide Rule by 1920. By 1922 Kelly and Hornyak and Novotni were selling other celluloid rules, such as the Paper Box Board Rule. By 1929 Novotni was selling slide rules under the name of the Novotni Slide Rule Company and was having the rules made of Bakelite. In 1937, he moved to Media, Pa. According to Novotni's daughter, Evelyn Novotni Bond, steel companies continued to purchase the Weight Slide Rule until 1992.

  References: Andrew W. Kelly and John Hornyak, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 1,210,488 issued January 2, 1917); "The Kelkay Weight Slide Rule," American Blacksmith 19, no. 11 (August 1920): 290; Directions for the use of the Novotni Weight Slide Rule (Media, Pa., about 1920), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/M75_Novotni_Weight_Slide_Rule.pdf; "Firm Tailors Slide Rules to Specific Tasks," Steel 155 (1964); accession file.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1937-ca 1959

  maker

  Novotni Slide Rule

  ID Number

  2009.0038.01

  accession number

  2009.0038

  catalog number

  2009.0038.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Perrygraf Clipper Cargo Dimensional Weight Computer Circular Slide Chart

  Description

  This instrument consists of concentric turquoise and white paper discs and a paper indicator held together with a metal rivet. Around the edge of the turquoise disc is a logarithmic scale of weight in pounds that ranges from 2 to 1,000. Inside this is a scale of lengths from 10" to 50". The white disc has a scale of heights from 5" to 50" and a scale of widths from 6" to 50". The indicator has a scale in densities in cubic inches per pound from 100 to 300 and instructions for setting the dimensions and density of a parcel in order to read off the parcel's weight.

  The indicator is marked: PAN AMERICAN WORLD (/) AIRWAYS (/) 506 West Sixth Street (/) Los Angeles 14, California (/) Phone: Michigan 2121 (/) CLIPPER CARGO (/) Dimensional (/) WEIGHT COMPUTER. The white disc is marked: Clipper, Trade Mark, Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. Printed in U.S.A. (/) Copyright 1951, Pan American World Airways, Inc. (/) Slide-Chart by PERRYGRAF, Maywood, Ill. The back of the instrument has a Pan Am compass rose logo at the center of advertising text: ANY WAY YOU MEASURE (/) MAKE CLIPPER CARGO YOUR RULE (/) For All Your Export Shipping (/) See Us For A Free Cost Analysis of (/) CLIPPER CARGO SERVICE (/) via PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS.

  A slide chart is a slide rule that performs a specific calculation, usually commissioned by a company as a promotional item. In 1934, machinery inspector Lester E. Perry (1901–1991) came up with the idea of equipping salespeople with slide charts so that they could immediately answer customers' questions. Perrygraf Corporation, the company he established in the Chicago, Ill., suburbs, quickly became a dominant force in this market. Pan Am was the principal international air carrier in the United States for most of the 20th century. See also 1996.3029.02, whose copyright date suggests that the latest date this chart was made was 1957.

  References: George Melloan, "Pocket Slide Charts Aid Engineers, Help Sell Steel, Lipstick," Wall Street Journal, September 4, 1953, 1; "People: Perrygraf," Waywiser, Harvard University Department of the History of Science website.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1951-1957

  maker

  Perry Graf Corporation

  ID Number

  1996.3029.01

  nonaccession number

  1996.3029

  catalog number

  1996.3029.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Pickett N4-ES Vector-Type Log Log Duplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This aluminum ten-inch linear duplex slide rule is coated in Pickett's "Eye Saver" yellow plastic. The flat nylon indicator is screwed within a white plastic frame. The front top of the base has three extended cube root scales (one for numbers with 1, 4, 7, 10, or more digits before the decimal point; one for numbers with 2, 5, 8, 11, or more digits; and one for numbers with 3, 6, 9, 12, or more digits) and a DF scale. The front bottom of the base has D, DI, and square root scales. The top square root scale gives roots of numbers on the D scale with an odd number of digits before the decimal point; the lower square root scale gives roots of numbers with an even number of digits. The front of the slide has CF, CIF, double T, ST, S, CI, and C scales.

  The left end of the slide is marked: MODEL N4-ES (/) Vector-Type LOG LOG (/) DUAL-BASE SPEED RULE. The right end has "Pickett" in script on a triangle with a dot at one point. MADE IN U.S.A. appears beneath the logo. This form of logo was in use from 1958 to 1962. The style of the grooved stamped aluminum posts is also consisted with this timeframe.

  The top back of the base has LL1, LL2, and DF/M scales. D, LL3, and LL4 scales are on the bottom of the base. The back of the slide has CF/M, TH, SH, Ln, L, CI, and C scales. The back of the slide is marked at the left end: COPYRIGHT 1959© (/) PATENT APPLIED FOR. The right end is marked: PICKETT (/) ALL METAL (/) SLIDE RULES (/) PICKETT & ECKEL INC. (/) CHICAGO ILL. U.S.A. The mention on the instrument of a patent application may refer to a patent for a case issued to John W. Pickett in 1960. Pickett was the son of company founder Ross C. Pickett and served as president of the firm from 1957 to 1967.

  The slide rule is in a red-brown leather case lined in white plastic. The triangular Pickett logo is stamped in gold on the front of the case, and a metal ring on the back is for a leather strap (no longer with the instrument) that can be hung around a belt loop. See 1980.0097.04 for instructions.

  The donor, engineer Edgar F. Peebles, obtained this slide rule free of charge as a replacement when the numbers came off the slide rule he had used in college. He first used it from 1959 to 1965 in the satellite control facility of the Air Force at Sunnyvale, Calif. He then used it as a down range representative for Lockheed Missiles and Space Company from 1965 to 1968 in tests of the Polaris missile. Finally, from 1968 to 1969 he used the slide rule in the checkout area of the test Polaris missile manufacturing plant in Sunnydale.

  References: Rodger Shepherd, "Pickett's 'Eye Saver Yellow,'" Journal of the Oughtred Society 1, no. 1 (1992): 18; International Slide Rule Museum, "Pickett All-Metal Slide Rules," http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm#Pickett; Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use . . . Pickett Dual Base Log Log Slide Rules (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1953), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/M103_Pickett_HowToUseDualBase_1953.pdf; John W. Pickett, "Slide Rule Case" (U.S. Patent D187,632 issued April 5, 1960); accession file.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  ca 1959

  maker

  Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated

  ID Number

  2000.0203.01

  accession number

  2000.0203

  catalog number

  2000.0203.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Acu-Math 130 Duplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This ten-inch duplex linear magnesium slide rule is coated with layers of white vinyl and has finger holes at both ends of both sides of the slide. On the front, the base has L, LL1, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked LOG LOG DECIMAL TRIG ACU-MATH No 130 MADE IN U S A. On the back, the base has LLO, LLOO, A, D, S, ST, and T scales, with B, K, CI, and C scales on the slide. The indicator is plastic with white plastic edges. A maroon leather case with belt loop has a window marked: F. G. VIANZON.

  The Acu-Rule Manufacturing Company was founded in 1938 in Festus, Mo., as the Festus Manufacturing Company. Renamed Acu-Rule Manufacturing Company in 1940, it soon was moved to St. Louis. In 1950 the company adopted the brand name Acu-Math (or ACUMATH). The firm moved to Mt. Olive, Ill., in 1954 and was sold to Sterling Plastics of Mountainside, N.J., in 1968. This model was not among the first rules sold by the firm, nor is it listed in a 1960 company catalog. Hence, it appears to date between 1950 and 1959. The donor's father, Felipe G. Vianzon, used this instrument.

  Reference: George E. Keane, "A History of the Festus Manufacturing Company and Its Successor, the Acu-Rule Manufacturing Company, Makers of the Acu-Rule and ACUMATH Slide Rule," Journal of the Oughtred Society 14, no. 1 (2005): 51–54.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1950-1959

  maker

  Acu-Rule Manufacturing Company

  ID Number

  2002.0158.01

  accession number

  2002.0158

  catalog number

  2002.0158.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Instruction Manual for Pickett 101-C Circular Slide Rule

  Description

  This 24-page booklet was received with 1981.0922.12. Its citation information is: Maurice L. Hartung, Dial Rule Circular Slide Rule: Your Model No. 101-C Instruction Manual (Chicago & Alhambra, Calif.: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1957). The back is marked: PRINTED IN U.S.A.; FORM M-18. The Pickett logo on the front cover was used between 1958 and 1962.

  The manual provides instructions and processes for the C and CI scales, multiplication, division, combined operations, the A and A_f scales (for square roots), logarithms and adding fractions, the LL scale, the DS and DT scales (for drill sizes and double depth of threads), the M scale (for metric conversions), and the S, ST, and T scales (for trigonometry). There are 24 problems and answers on the back page.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  ca 1958

  publisher

  Pickett Industries

  author

  Hartung, Maurice L.

  ID Number

  1981.0922.13

  accession number

  1981.0922

  catalog number

  1981.0922.13

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Pickett 101-C Circular Slide Rule

  Description

  This yellow aluminum circular slide rule has three clear plastic indicators, one blank. The other indicator on the front is marked in red to denote the C, CI, A, A^F, L, F^A, LL2, LL1, DS, DT, and M scales. The indicator on the back is marked in red to denote the C, S,ST, and T scales. A ring of numbers under the scales on the back permits conversions from fractions to decimals.

  The center of the front is marked: CIRCULAR SLIDE RULE – dial rule (/) PICKETT. The center of the back is marked: dial rule (/) NO 101-C. A triangular Pickett logo, of the form used between 1950 and 1958, appears at the bottom of the center; CHICAGO is printed below the logo.

  Pickett & Eckel, a slide rule manufacturer based in Chicago and Alhambra, Calif., distributed a small booklet with this instrument, one of the few circular slide rules sold by the company and possibly the only circular model it manufactured. Maurice L. Hartung, a University of Chicago mathematics professor associated with the company, wrote the instruction manual (1981.0922.13). The booklet is copyrighted 1957, and the logo on this copy was used by the company between 1958 and 1962. Thus, this slide rule dates to about 1958.

  References: Rodger Shepherd, "Pickett Metal Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 1, no. 1 (1992): 5–8; Walter Shawlee, "Information About Pickett Slide Rules," Sphere Research Slide Rule Site, http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/pickett.html.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  ca 1958

  maker

  Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated

  ID Number

  1981.0922.12

  catalog number

  1981.0922.12

  accession number

  1981.0922

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Dietzgen 1732 Decimal Trig Log Log Duplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This ten-inch, two-sided wooden slide rule is coated with white plastic and has a glass indicator with plastic and metal edges. The endpieces are L-shaped metal. The front of the base has L, LL1, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked: DIETZGEN MANIPHASE MULTIPLEX DECIMAL TRIG TYPE LOG LOG RULE CAT. NO. 1732. The back of the base has LL0, LL00, A, D, DI, and K scales, with B, T, ST, and S scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked: EUGENE DIETZGEN CO. PATS. 2,170,144 2,285,722 MADE IN U.S.A. 530361. The case is cardboard covered with black leather. A Dietzgen logo is on the flap—the letter D inside the letter E inside the letters Co. Paper taped to the case is marked: PHILIP KRUPEN.

  Model 1732 does not appear on a 1943 price list for the Eugene Dietzgen Co. of Chicago, but an instruction manual for this model was published in 1946. A drawing in this manual shows the same scales that are on this slide rule. Although the model is advertised in Dietzgen's 1953–1954 catalog, the log and K scales are arranged very differently from this rule. Hence, the rule apparently dates from 1944 to 1952.

  Three U.S. Naval Academy professors applied for the patents mentioned on this slide rule in 1937 and 1938. These patents dealt with arranging and coloring scales so that problems could be solved in the fewest steps. They were also cited on Keuffel & Esser slide rules, models 4080 and 4081. (See 1992.0437.01, 2007.0181.01, 318482, 334387, 1990.0687.01, and 1986.0790.03.) The inventors also wrote instruction manuals for K&E, such as 1987.0085.02 and 2007.0181.01.01. The scales on the patents match those on this rule, except that the positions of the LL0 and LL00 scales are reversed.

  This slide rule was given to the Smithsonian in 1986 by the physicist Philip Krupen (1915–2001). Krupen received his BS from Brooklyn College in 1935, worked on the development of the proximity fuze during and after World War II, earned a master's degree in physics from George Washington University, and spent a total of 38 years working for the U.S. government before his retirement in 1973. It seems possible that he acquired the rule while working on his master's degree.

  References: Robert Otnes, "Dietzgen Patents, Runners, and Log Log Scales," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996): 45–48; H. Loren Thompson and Ovid W. Eshbach, The Dietzgen Maniphase Multiplex Decimal Trig Type Log Log Slide Rule No. 1732 (Chicago: Eugene Dietzgen Co., 1946), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/M179_Dietzgen1732Manual1946.pdf; Dietzgen School Catalog (Chicago, 1953), 27; Lyman M. Kells, Willis F. Kern, and James R. Bland, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,170,144 issued August 22, 1939), and "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,285,722 issued June 9, 1942).

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1944-1952

  maker

  Eugene Dietzgen Company

  ID Number

  1986.0790.01

  catalog number

  1986.0790.01

  accession number

  1986.0790

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Keuffel & Esser N4058-W Beginner's Simplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This ten-inch wooden linear slide rule is painted white. The indicator is frameless plastic. The base has A, D, and K scales. The slide has B, CI, and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The back of the rule is printed with a table of equivalents and abbreviations, based on National Bureau of Standards Circular No. 47. Compare to 1984.1068.01. The back is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.; BEGINNER'S SLIDE RULE. N4058W; MADE IN U. S. A. There is no serial number. The case is green leatherette and is marked: K+E.

  In 1897, Keuffel & Esser began to sell a slide rule for students. It was constructed inexpensively and was intended to be replaced once students had mastered the basic operations. The version with this model number and these scales was offered between 1944 and 1959, although the all-plastic indicator was not introduced until 1954. Model N4058W sold for $2.50 in 1959. Longtime NMAH staff member Barbara Coffee donated this example to the Smithsonian.

  Reference: Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4058 Family," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4058family.htm.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1954-1959

  maker

  Keuffel & Esser Co.

  ID Number

  1987.0184.01

  accession number

  1987.0184

  catalog number

  1987.0184.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Charvoz-Roos SR-105D Simplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This one-sided wooden rule is faced with white celluloid and has a plastic indicator and metal endpieces. The base has A, D, and K scales; B, CI, and C scales are on the front of the slide, and S, L, and T scales are on the back of the slide. The back of the slide is visible on the back of the rule, but the back of the base has tables of equivalents instead of scales. So, the slide must be removed from the rule, turned over, and reinserted to use the S, L, and T scales with the A, D, and K scales. (There is, though, a hairline on the back of one endpiece for using the S, L, and T scales by themselves.) The tables of equivalents indicate how the slide should be set on the front to convert various units, such as centimeters to meters. The instrument fits in a brown synthetic leather case. The front of the base is marked: SR-105D CHARVOZ-ROOS MADE IN U.S.A. The back of the base is marked: ACU (/) DESIGN (/) PAT. PENDING.

  Andre Charvoz (1892–1969) and his partners began to sell rebranded slide rules as well as slide rules assembled from parts in East Rutherford, N.J., around 1939. The company was called the Charvoz-Roos Corporation from 1946 until 1953, when it went bankrupt. The scales on the celluloid layers were apparently provided by the Acu-Rule Mfg. Co. of St. Louis, Mo., which either used Acu-Design as a brand name or as a separate business that supplied scales to other manufacturers. Acu-Rule's president, Wilfred Boos, applied for a patent on this rule in 1949 and received it in 1952.

  References:

  "Time Line for Charvoz-Roos Slide Rules," International Slide Rule Museum, http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm#

  Charvoz; Wilfred J. Boos, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,594,897 issued April 29, 1952).

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1949-1953

  maker

  Charvoz-Roos

  ID Number

  2009.3008.01

  nonaccession number

  2009.3008

  catalog number

  2009.3008.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Koehler Trim-Numeral Calculator

  Description

  This plastic green and white slide rule carries out calculations related to the capacity, draft, and resistance of cargo tankers able to carry up to 26,700 deadweight metric tons of petroleum or petroleum products. Eight metal rivets hold the rule together. The front is marked: KOEHLER TRIM-NUMERAL CALCULATOR (/) 26700 D.W.T. TANKERS. The bottom of the front of the slide is marked: MARKETED BY JEFKO PRODUCTS COMPANY, 100 OAKLAND ROAD, MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY. The back of the rule and the back of the slide are both marked: COPYRIGHT 1954 BY J. F. KOEHLER.

  According to the accession file, this instrument was made by Felsenthal Instrument Company in 1954 as model number FDJ-23. For company history, see 1977.1141.01 and 1977.1141.02. The address for JEFKO Products is a single-family home constructed in 1925. A New Jersey engineer named J. Franklin Koehler (b. 1927) earned a B.S. in naval architecture and marine transportation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1951 with a thesis titled "Influence of Rising Operating Costs on Relative Economic Operation of Higher Speed Cargo Vessels."

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1954

  maker

  Felsenthal Instrument Co.

  ID Number

  1977.1141.38

  catalog number

  336422

  accession number

  1977.1141

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Macbeth Daylighting Circular Slide Chart

  Description

  In the first half of the 20th century, electric lighting became commonplace in American stores, factories, and homes. Firms such as Macbeth Daylighting Company of New York City and Corning Glassware of Corning, N.Y., developed special glass filters that transmitted incandescent light with optical properties similar to those of natural light. Macbeth distributed this white paper circular slide chart, which allowed the user to compare the efficiency and color temperature of Macbeth Whiterlite filters and Corning Daylite filters.

  The device is marked: MACBETH DAYLIGHTING CO., Inc. (/) 227–239 West 17th Street (/) New York. It probably dates from between 1920 and 1950. A tan paper envelope is also marked with the company's address.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1920-1950

  maker

  Macbeth-Evans Glass Company

  ID Number

  1979.3074.01

  nonaccession number

  1979.3074

  catalog number

  1979.3074.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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