Had an Amish fellow ask me the other day when he found out I was a surveyor, if I had a slide rule...Well tuns out I have a K&E that I used in college in 1972, and his eyes lit up. It was kind of strange because I took a whole course on it, used it, and forgot everything about them. I teased the guy and told him that I couldn't remember how to turn it on after 40 years!!!
Got looking it up on the net and they actually quit makin' them in 1976, the last one made was given to the Smithsonian, and HP now has a museum for them too. Who knew??? Gonna just give mine to this Amish guy and ask him to teach someone else how to use it, don't think there are many people around that could work one.
I have 2 Pickett log-logs, they work great - still remember the basics.
Looking at one right now. I, too, have forgotten 95% of what I used to know about using one.
Mine is a Dietzgen Polymath Multiplex, decimal trig type log log rule. Cat. No. N1733. Eugene Dietzgen Company, Pats 2,170,144 and 2,285,722. Made in U.S.A. O53184.
I have no idea how to use it.
I remember having one in college. I think I learned one multiplication function pretty well, but that was it.
I have my Post Versalog, a high school graduation present to take to college in 1968. I can still do basic stuff on it. Saw the first HP calculators in my Sr year but didn't get one.
I have a 20 inch scientific slide rule for extra precision, that my great uncle used (he died in 1950's) but don't know how old the slide rule is.
I have accumulated others from garage sales and antique shops, including a Picket that is similar to the Post, a 6" Picket that was handy for carrying around, a K&E "Electronics" slide rule with reactance and resonance scales, and several lesser ones.
Oh, and a 2 inch slide rule on a tie clip (remember those?), that can actually do a multiplication.
Dave
I have the same one as you, but I can still remember how to do a few (simple) things on it (I think!).
🙂
Loyal
Dave
I inherited this one from my Dad.
I could use a staff compass but he didn't have one of those and the Dietzgen Engineer's Transit is a bit heavy to carry around 🙂
Slide Rules:
1) Don't slide down backwards.
2) Always slide feet first.
3) Don't bump into people when sliding.
my E6B flight computer is a circular slide rule...
it's used to calculate fuel quantities, ETA, etc.
before slide rules
Edmund Gunter was a clergyman and mathematician who is known for his survey chain, but also invented a "gunter", a mechanical device which was a precursor to the slide rule which used log values to do calculations. He also coined the terms cosine and cotangent.
I was the District UIL Slide Rule champion during High School.
I still have my round slide rule.
James
Does anyone remember hand cranks?
They helped calculate a lot of surveys in the 60's.
I had a round one that got me through physics in 1965.
Very fast. I think it was an Alvin. It fit in my pocket.
Used slide rule in the field before hand calculator came along.
I have a Post Versalog that was a must for high school math, has so many scales and functions that I cannot remember them all.
Also a Basik slide rule #1765P from Eugene Dietzgen Co.
I used a speed rule at interscolastic events, a girl from South Texas could use one better than any other person I've ever met, kin to the pinball wizard I always said.
I had forgotten that I used slide rules over 45 years ago
LOL
RADU
I had forgotten that I used slide rules over 45 years ago
I figured out how to multiply on the Dietzgen slide rule. It's really simple using the A & B scales.
Sure do, I used to reduce all my stadia notes with a 20" K&E stadia rule that I still have. I think I coninued to use it until I bought an HP97 around 1980.
I got the K&E rule from my dad, it dated from his first survey job in the early 1930's.
> Well turns out I have a K&E that I used in college in 1972...
When I was in the 8th grade the science teacher handed them out and we spent a portion of an afternoon learning to use them to do basic functions. At the end of the class he collected them and sort of apologized, said that he was obliged by the curriculum to teach the subject and that we would probably never see them again. We would be using calculators. He was right. This would have been in about 1972. And that is the sum of my slide rule experience.
