Slide rules live! 3

[oldfieldguy]

I was working with my fifteen year old son on a computer problem this weekend and he found an old slide rule on my shelf.

"What's this, dad?"

"It's a slide rule."

"What's it do?"

"Puts men into outer space. Breaks the sound barrier. Builds the interstate highway system. Let me show you how it works..."

And he thinks it's neat. He may never use it, but he knows it exists.

old field guy

 

[zeusfaber]

I like this.

http://www.stefanv.com/calculators/aristo970/index.html

There's a similar "analog calculator" app for the iPhone.

A.

 

[Twoballcane]

70AARCUDA

Well my calc is solor powered so just as long I don't do my work in the dark I'm good.

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

 

[vc66]

Twoballcane-

You're gonna be screwed in about 100 million years.

V

 

[Twoballcane]

vc66

hmmm, I did not know that you can use the slide rule in the dark?

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

 

[waross]

From;

http://www.oughtred.org/we-get-questions-pt1.pdf

Q11: I posted a K&E unusual Braille Slide rule for sale on the Yahoo group. I received 2 offers from collectors. Someone mentioned that Bob Otnes commented how rare a rule it is. I was
thinking that if there is some library or museum that has a collection I should donate it - rather than selling it. Your thoughts?
A11: We answered, “The existence of the K&E Braille slide rule has been known for quite some time, from the exhibition of one at an Oughtred Society meeting several years ago by a former K&E executive. But that rule's location is unknown and no other example has been known until now.” ” In 2005 the MIT Museum acquired the K&E Company slide rule collection, which was donated to the Museum by a successor company of K&E. This collection has been known by slide rule collectors and historians for years, but nobody knew what happened to it after the demise of K&E, until recently. The collection is housed in a very large and beautiful oak cabinet with many drawers. Careful inventory and cataloguing of its contents is in progress by the Museum, drawer by drawer. There is not a Braille rule in its contents.” ”Dr. Deborah Douglas is the Curator of Science and Technology at the Museum. She is responsible for the K&E Collection. I am sure that she would be delighted to hear from you. Please stay in touch with us regarding this most interesting saga!”
The inquirer wrote, “Thanks for the quick response. It is indeed a genuine K&E Braille KE4081-3 Slide rule. I worked for the American Foundation for the Blind as an Engineer for some years and acquired it then. I've had it for 20+ years. It is from 1952-1955. I'm excited and will contact the Museum as it seems that would be the best place for it. Its hard to believe I have something worthy of a museum collection!”
This saga ended with Dr. Deborah Douglas’ talking with this inquirer, who donated the Braille rule to the MIT Museum. The Society is very pleased to have been a part of effecting the preservation of this very rare K&E slide rule.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[trchambe]

I'm a 23 year old engineer, out of school for 7 months now. I recently came across several old Simpson, Heath, and Weston meters, and a few slide rules. The meters don't all work, and I've spent some time troubleshooting them. I've also learned how to use the slide rules. I don't imagine I'll use them in practice, but they are quite a bit of fun to play with.

I thought some of the more "experienced" contributors to this forum may enjoy hearing that

 

[oldfieldguy]

We were conversing about environmental issues yesterday at the office and subject of using mercury manometers as calibration standards came up. Specifically discussed was the idea that you didn't need a bench full of test equipment and a two-year degree in electronics to verify the calibration of a vertical column of mercury.

Yes, like the slide rule, it might be hard to get four decimal places of accuracy, but also like the slide rule, it was simple and independent of a power source.

old field guy

 

[btrueblood]

ofg,

But you do need a hazmat suit, full vent hood and disposal agreement for the sulfide sludge that you scrape off of the surface of the mercury pool...oh, and a degree in chemistry to run the mercury still.

 

[SlideRuleEra]

trchambe, good move. I agree that slide rules are totally obsolete but just using them for fun can still give good practice on one aspect of engineering that is still valuable, but rapidly disappearing. See this document on my webpage:

http://www.slideruleera.net/MaintainSharpInstincts.pdf

http://www.SlideRuleEra.net

http://www.VacuumTubeEra.net

 

[unclesyd]

As I've stated before now when you would go to meeting on technical matters and you put something on the board and people start moving their PDAs' blackberries, cell phones, etc. you don't know whether they are checking your results or getting stock quotes, taking your picture, or playing battleship, but in the days of the slide rule you knew very well what they were doing when the rules started moving.

I recently recalled a bit of information that my brother passed on several years back about early on in space program. While standing with a group of people in the control center during launch of an Atlas, Dr Van Braun whipped out his little 6" rule and did a few quick calculations and turn to a companion and said it's on track and left the room. One of the supervisory personnel spoke as Dr Van Braun was leaving stated " in his head and that little slide rule there is more computing power than NASA has on line.

 

[gearguru]

Years ago I saw the Von Braun's and Korolyov's (the Soviet rocket designer) slide rules displayed side by side in the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. Both of them were made by Faber Castle...