This is one of my favourite introductory slide rule manuals. I particularly like the simulation of the pickett n 525es, a statistical slide rule and one that is uncommon. Npr ed before the smartphone, the laptop and the pocket calculator, there was a. Slide rule universe take the learn to use and clean them link. Here are two videos with regrettable autofocus hunting explaining the basics of computation with a slide rule. Linear slide rules service slide rule scale length 10 approx, overall length 14 made in australia little is known of the company that manufactured this service slide rule in sydney, australia, probably in the 1950s. I did a lot of research on them, and when i did, i discovered that there are circular variations. The slide rule also does not tell you the sign of your result. Displays, an auction, and slide rule talks are the scheduled highlights, plus visiting with other collectors. You get a real impression of the excitement of meeting the engineering challenges and. The link below will take you to dereks virtual slide rule site. Circular slide rule calculators wheel chart calculators. Npr ed before the smartphone, the laptop and the pocket calculator, there was a powerful mechanical computer. The rule is actually a lot shinier than it looks here, but i captured images in fairly low light conditions so that glare wouldnt obscure the features.
For the past 400 years, the calculations performed on slide rules have made possible such feats as designing the first skyscraper and putting a man on the moon. Round the original problem to convenient numbers and solve it in your head. You can use these to create any length of slide rule mike. Classroom activity before introducing the multiplication logarithmic slide rules, show how 2 rulers can make an adding slide rule. Additionally, the slide rule does not tell you where the decimal point is located in the answer. The slide rule and other instruments which give the same facilities for rapid calculations, are covered by the term mechanical calculation. Slide rule is an autobiography, but the part that almost everyone will buy it for is the account of the building of the r100 airship in competition with the r101. Mannheim slide rule 1850 faber castell 283n nestler 23r mannheim issac newton put 3 scales in parallel in 1675 to compute cubes. Slide rules that are round offer the length of a 10 rectangular slide rule in a pocketsized roughly 3.
You can enter and read a number typically to two or three decimal digits only. I suppose it is a bit of a stretch to consider it a combination device, but it is a functioning slide rule and tie clip, and a welcome addition to the collection. He explains what a slide rule is and how you can build one of your very own. It is unfortunate that, for some reasons not easy to see, the slide rule is sometimes regarded as a difficult instrument with which to become proficient. As graphical analog calculators, slide rules are closely related to nomograms, but the former are used for general calculations, whereas the latter are used for applicationspecific computations.
Old pilots watches feature these slide rules, and any newer pilotstyle watches also have this. Because of pdf formatting, you must print it to standard 8. It is unfortunate that, for some reasons not easy to see, the slide rule is sometimes regarded as a difficult instrument with which to. The international slide rule museum has a multitude of resources for slide rule fans, including scans of user manuals from a variety of manufacturers.
The following was written in 1999 by jason waskiewicz. Obviously most of us arent going to use a slide rule for day to day math in jobs or school, but sometimes its interesting to see how these old tools work. Issue 12 contains my first published gazette article entitled thacher accuracy with unique expenditure. As graphical analog calculators, slide rules are closely related to nomograms, but the former are used for general calculations, whereas the latter are used for applicationspecific computations the slide rule is used primarily for multiplication and division, and also for functions.
The appeal of slide rules for use and as collectables. This site hosts a portable package of derek ross, stefan vorkoetters, and brian bartholomews virtual slide rules browserhosted slide rule simulators. British railways board volume weight calculator br 1497. After seeing phil bs making your own slide rule, i went on a huge slide rule kick. Next, find the smaller number on the d scale and slide the c scale so the 1 on the far left lines up with the smaller number. The slide rule the book, written by florian cajori, is the standard work on the early history of the slide rule. Customers tell us that they know circular slide rule style calculators as. There is also a version as a word document which is smaller 2040 kb. Pickett n904t trig and decimal keeper speed rule pickett n525es statrule pickett n4es vectortype log log dual base speed rule pickett 160es microline pickett n600es log log speed rule if youre not sure about how to use a slide rule, take a look at slide rule calculations by example opens in new window. If you click on the image a scan of the article is available in pdf format, reproduced here with the permission of the uksrc. Collecting slide rules oughtred society slide rule home page.
Theres a good selection at the international slide rule museum website, including an ingenious circular rule using a cd case by ying hum, see below. Outofprint material that may be useful when working on existing facilities. Compared to a calculator, a slide rule is severely limited in its accuracy. Breitling circular slide rule used to show owners of breitling watches how the slide rule bezel on their watch functions. An easy introduction to the slide rule internet archive. The rule has engraved plastic scales pinned to a wooden base, with a singleline glass cursor in a metal frame. In a separate calculation you find the order of magnitude by combining the powers of 10.
This set is unused and immaculate the box is a little worn. Here is a virtual slide rule which works in your browser. The first circular slide rule on this link uses a cd case as the basis for the slide rule. An easy introduction to the slide rule asimov, isaac. The slide rule, also known colloquially in the united states as a slipstick, is a mechanical analog computer. Get the best deals on circular slide rule when you shop the largest online selection at. Our original problem was 410 x 9, and we read an answer of 3. There are also a couple of slider calculaters from brian and myself. How to use a circular slide rule caliper timepieces inc.
To build the slide rule, you will need to download and print the following image at 300 dpi. I recently started getting interested in slide rule calculators and i was considering buying one. Free shipping on many items browse your favorite brands affordable prices. The slide rule is used mainly for multiplication and division, and also for scientific functions such as roots, logarithms and trigonometry, but usually not for addition or subtraction.
Published in 1961, it has a much more modern appearance and writing style than earlier manuals. Collecting slide rules oughtred society slide rule home. After a buying or making a slide rule, if the original manual isnt available online many are, theres a superb illustrated tutorial on slide rule use pdf download offered on the oughtred. Slide rule gazette issues 11 and 12 published by the united kingdom slide rule circle uksrc. This slide rule is a genuine classic and deservedly so, with one of the best scale layouts ever devised for professional technical work. Here are two videos with regrettable autofocus hunting explaining the. Adding slide rules are not practical, but demonstrate how to use a slide rule in a simple. This page gives my own templates see below for constructing a circular slide rule, with scales c, ci, d, a, and k. Meanwhile, using online virtual slide rules to practice, i noticed that i wasnt able to identify the exact model was best suited for my needs. Here derek has put together a number of working slide rules that can be used for calculations and demonstrations on the computer. Mannheim slide rule 1850 faber castell 283n nestler 23r mannheim issac newton put 3 scales in parallel in 1675 to compute cubes, and proposed the cursor in 1677, but was ignored. An adding slide rule works just like a multiplication slide rule. Bissaker slide rule 1654 circular slide rule king pocket calculator 66 sclales thacher calculator 30 ft.
Older, usually conservative methods of solving technical problems. All other scales on a slide rule are referenced to the c and d scales. Our next project will include a circular slide rule in the design of the watch. The international meeting of slide rule and other math. Many pilots watches made make use of a circular slide rule on the bezel of the watch. My slide rules this gallery is in the process of some updating, as many of the scans are from the 1990s, when my way of taking pictures was to put the slide rule on a flatbed scanner and hope it came out reasonably clearly. Datalizer wheel chart calculators are designed for quick calculating.
The construction is bamboo, a wonderfully stable, mildly lubricious material. Ron manleys slide rule site take the instructions link. The scales are also continuous, so there is no need to make adjustments, such as folded and inverse scales, for results of calculations that go off the ends of the scales. The oughtred society has a meeting in june in mountain view, california, and a meeting in february in las vegas, nevada. Using a slide rule is a bit of a lost art but with a bit of practice, it can be a useful everyday tool. It is a very good example on how the divisions of the slide rule scales are calculated.
Nate, the mathematics guy shows you the basics of a slide rule. One of the nice things about circular slide rules is that youll never run into the run the cursor off the end of the slide rule problems, since there is no end to a circular slide rule. These were the largest of their generation, vastly larger than the a380 and 747 jets of today. These were used by pilots to do simple arithmetic, conversions and other calculations in an era before gps and calculators. A slide rule is a mechanical device that uses the alignment of numeric values marked on sliding scales to perform mathematical calculations. The purpose of this website is to make available engineering.
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