What is slide rule its features?
A slide rule, also known as a slide ruler or a slipstick, is an extremely complex ruler that functions as an analog computer. By sliding various components of the ruler to align with one another, a slide rule can compute products, roots, logarithms, and the result of trigonometric functions.
Who invented the circular slide rule?
William Oughtred
About 1622, William Oughtred (Figure 1, right), an Anglican Minister, today recognized as the inventor of the slide rule in its actual form, by placing two such scales side by side and sliding them to read the distance relationships, thus multiplying and dividing directly. He also developed a circular slide rule.
How do you read a circular slide rule?
1. Move the beginning (the number 1) on the movable scale (inner circular scale) under the number 2 (multiplicand, first factor) on the fixed scale (outer circular scale). 2. Rotate the pointer to the number 3 (multiplier, second factor) on the movable scale, and read off the result (6) on the fixed scale.
Can you still buy a slide rule?
There are many pages about slide rules on the web, and you can still buy brand new slide rules (40 years old but never used, and still in their factory supplied box) in various places.
How does a cylindrical slide rule work?
The Fuller calculator, sometimes called Fuller’s cylindrical slide rule, is a cylindrical slide rule with a helical main scale taking 50 turns around the cylinder. This creates an instrument of considerable precision – it is equivalent to a traditional slide rule 25.40 metres (1,000 inches) long.
What slide rule did NASA?
N600-ES
In addition, crews carried a slide rule for more routine calculations. NASA chose a 5-inch, metal rule, model “N600-ES,” manufactured by the Pickett Company for their use. It was a model that was popular among engineers, scientists and students at the time. No modifications were needed for use in space.
Do old slide rules have any value?
The rarest slide rules are 19th Century hand-engraved instruments such as Palmers Computing Scale (a circular model), first published in 1843, or the cylindrical ‘Thacher’s Patent Calculating Instrument’ slide rules produced by Keuffel and Esser Co in the 1880s. These can run close to $1,000 in good condition.
What is the best slide rule ever made?
FABER-CASTELL 2/83N slide rule is considered by some to be the finest and most beautiful slide rule ever made. but the cheapest slide rules displayed squares and roots; most also computed cubes, cube roots, inverses, sines and tangents.
What is a Darmstadt slide rule?
The Slide Rule CASTELL System Darmstadt is a general purpose slide rule. Its logarithmic scales make possible all the calculations which are met with in mathematics and their practice.
How do you lubricate a slide rule?
Basically, all you have to do is add a little bit of Vaseline to the slide edge and then work the slider back and forth to lubricate the rule. The same goes for the top stator groove that the cursor spring slides back and forth along. This approach actually works quite well, but go easy on it.
Can you still buy slide rules?
What is the size of a round slide rule?
Slide rules that are round offer the length of a 10″ rectangular slide rule in a pocket-sized (roughly 3.6″) format, since the scales are on the circumference of circles. 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.
What are the parts of a slide rule?
Most slide rules consist of three parts: Frame or Base, two linear strips of the same length held parallel with a gap between. Slide, a center strip interlocked with the frame that can move lengthwise relative to the frame. Runner or Glass, an exterior sliding piece with a hairline.
What was the purpose of the circular slide rule?
This two-sided white plastic circular slide rule helped railroad procurement officers determine the amount and cost of coal or oil needed to efficiently operate the boiler of a train engine. It consists of three concentric discs, with the two smaller discs on the front and back and one large disc in the middle.
How many cursors does a circular slide rule have?
Pickett circular slide rule with two cursors. (4.25 in/10.9 cm width) Reverse has additional scale and one cursor. There are two main types of cylindrical slide rules: those with helical scales such as the Fuller calculator, the Otis King and the Bygrave slide rule, and those with bars, such as the Thacher and some Loga models.