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Science World Blog When Slide Rulers Ruled the World
Science World Blog When Slide Rulers Ruled the World
When Slide Rulers Ruled the World
Last Updated (Monday, 14 December 2009 15:52) Written by Raymond Nakamura
Once upon a time, slide rulers were standard issue for engineers and scientists. Slide rulers became extinct when calculators and then computers took over the world. My Dad had one that I fiddled with but never really learned to use.
Old School
Recently, I saw a display of antique scientific instruments (at the Port Moody Station Museum), which included a sextant and some thermometers with extra large bulbs of mercury. In the middle was a fancy wooden cylindrical device, labelled a slide ruler. I don't know much about slide rulers, but I thought they were flat.
(Thanks to Nicole Gibson at the Port Moody Station Museum for the photo)
Hopeful Monsters
With some surfing, I found out that various kinds of slide rulers exist. Eventually, I came across a picture of what I think I saw at the museum — a Thacher's Calculating Instrument, described as "the ultimate cylindrical slide rule." American engineer Edwin Thacher patented this device in 1881. It allowed the user to calculate logarithms to more decimals.
Tools for Thought
The thing about a slide ruler is that even if you know how to use one, you still need to think to get an answer. Same with an abacus. My Mom told me she knew a man who used an abacus to defeat an adding machine salesman in a calculating contest.
Let Your Brain Stem Slide
When I was in high school, I resisted using a calculator for a long time because I thought my brain would go to mush. Eventually I gave in, because my arithmetic skills weren't that good anyway. A bit like people who think Google is making us stupid. But instead of buying the latest brain game, maybe I should just get a slide ruler.
Comments
"According to our collections data base the Thatcher’s Calculating Instrument was used by the CP Express. A note that was found with the artefact reads: “I understand this slide rule was used in shops like Ogden Weston and Angus etc to amortize shop overhead.” There is also a bill of sale that indicates the item was purchased in 1967. Unfortunately, there is no information in our records or database about how the object was used, but there do appear to be mathematical guidelines or rules glued to the base of the slide rule."
So I'm glad I at least identified it correctly.
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