The slide rule was invented between 1620 and 1630 by Edmund Gunter of Oxford University in Oxford, England. It consisted of a single logarithmic scale and with additional measuring tools could be used to multiply and divide. Then in 1632 William Oughtred of Cambridge University in Cambridge, England combined two Gunter rules, held together with ones hands, to make the forerunner of the "modern" slide rule. There were several advancements to the slide rule that cumulated into the "modern" slide rule that was created in 1859 by French artillery lieutenant Amédée Mannheim. They quickly became widely used through out Europe primarily by engineers. They did not become widely used in the United States until 1881 when Edwin Thacher introduced a cylindrical rule.
The use of slide rules began to diminish as mainframe computing became widely available to technical workers during the 1960s; however, this did not significantly diminish the ubiquitous use of the slide rule. That occurred when cheap pocket-sized electronic calculators for scientific and engineering purposes became widely available in the mid-1970s at which point slide rules rapidly fell out of use.
Answer the questions below to fill out the following co-ordinates:
N 3B° AA.B0C'
W 9Cº XB.D7D'
A slide rule is also referred to in the USA as a:
- calculating stick (then A=4)
- slip calculator (then A=7)
- slipstick (then A=5)
Fig. 1 - Federick Post Co. No. 1462 Slide Rule showing front (top) and back (bottom).
Answer the following questions using figure 1 for reference.
The clear plastic piece is referred to as the:
- cursor (then B=8)
- slide (then B=6)
- window (then B=1)
The center piece, that can be seen sticking out on either end, is referred to as the:
- slip (then X=8)
- slide (then X=1)
- calculation bar (then X=6)
Fig 2: The above slide rule set up for multiplication. Note the answer =C
Fig. 3 - The above slide rule set up for division. Note the answer =D