Oughtred society slide rule seminar a set of slides in pdf form prepared by the oughtred society, covering the history of slide rules and some basics of their use. 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. Go to the pocket slide rules, go to the circular slide rules. My watch did not come with any instructions regarding the use of the slide rule. Circular slide rule article about circular slide rule by. Oughtred society slide rule reference manual the oughtred.
Andreas gave delamain priority because one of his rings had two cirlces that moved one within the other. The simplest slide rule would have two log scales that you could use to do multiplication and division see my slide rule introduction page for more info. They have a standardised set of markings called scales. You can enter and read a number typically to two or three decimal digits only. In 1950, post brought out an american version of the bamboo slide rule manufactured by hemmi of japan, the versalog.
Often nothing is sliding and they do not resemble a rule in any way. Henry suttons slide rule top was an early circular rule circa 1663. Takeda concise 300 circular slide rule diameter 412, c scale length 10 made in japan this concise circular slide rule has the standard 10 scales arranged on a doublesided plastic disc of about 5 diameter. Datalizer wheel chart calculators are designed for quick calculating. Cylindrical and circular instruments are made which employ the logarithmic principles and these are. There has been discussion about the inventor of the circular slide ruleoughtred or delamain. 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.
The first circular slide rule on this link uses a cd case as the basis for the slide rule. Free shipping on many items browse your favorite brands. This page gives my own templates see below for constructing a circular. Spheres circular slide rule archive circular slide. Old pilots watches feature these slide rules, and any newer pilotstyle watches also have this. The site has instruction manuals for a number of slide rules. A duplex slide rule had scales on both sides, the usual case for engineering slide rules. In addition are a few manuals i have written for my own jugglers and radix series slide rules. Circular slide rule based on my guess concerning nystroms calculator design.
Also because of all the detail, the 30loop spiral slide rule converts to a lowrez bitmap data image while you move it, then back to a vector based image as soon as you release. How many days will it take for 8 men to finish the job. Etani dreamed up the idea of the data chart rules, and metric factors. Slide rules that are round offer the length of a 10 rectangular slide rule in a pocketsized roughly 3.
Any slide rule with cd, l, and a cursor will do it. Fivescale circular with slide out panel containing a wealth of useful conversion tables and data. The advantage of circular slide rules, is that the dimensions can be small. Some of them relate to standard rules thornton, faber castell 283n and would be useful whatever rule you have but others are for specialised rules. 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. An adding slide rule works just like a multiplication slide rule. The slide rule is a simple but elegant mechanical calculator. The lower picure shows the answer on the leftmost cursor. Scientific american may 2006 university of vermont. 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. Below you will find a postscript template and instructions for building your own pocketsized circular slide rule, like the one pictured at left. Historically they were invented in 1622 by william oughtred about 220 years before linear. Circular slide rules circular slide rule is somewhat a misnomer. Later i thought a circular slide rule would be easier to make out of paper.
In contrast, a tachymeter scale is hyperbolic and typically has numbers that run in from infinity down to sixty. Click here to see a similarly organized pdf file of several hundred pages showing all the possibilities. Slide rules circular slide rules national museum of american. Youre just using the slide rule to mimic its own behavior. Sphere researchs slide rule universe, build your own.
The following link will download a word document version. Spheres pickett slide rule company archive slide rules online. Concise circular slide rules concise typee weights and measures, conversion tables and circular slide rule. The author had founded the unique slide rule company in 1920. The slide rule, also known colloquially in the united states as a slipstick, is a mechanical analog computer. All slide rules consist of logarithmic scales that can be moved in relation to each other in order to do basic mathematical calculations.
Circular slide rules were often used in industries such as construction, architecture, and other professions that required precise mathematical calculations. Additional slide rule material can be accessed using the links in the left bar under slide rule content pages. Slide rule simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Circular slide rule calculators wheel chart calculators. It consists in a method of combining with the sliderule a mechanism by which roots. The cylindrical slide rule is still utilized in some parts of the world, and like the standard slipstick rule is easy to operate. This addition slide rule lets you add numbers by sliding the y scale. New listing slide rule circular logarithmic ruler kl1 ussr calculator mathematical instrume.
Classroom activity before introducing the multiplication logarithmic slide rules, show how 2 rulers can make an adding slide rule. Here are a few instruction manuals for aw faber faber castell slide rules that i have acquired, most came with slide rules as indicated. Everard inverted the logarithmic scale, and adapted the slide rule to gauging. The instructions i found online for using slide rule watches or slide rules in general were confusing, loaded with math terminology or in one case simply wrong. The slide rule is used primarily for multiplication and division, and also for scientific functions such as roots, logarithms and trigonometry, but does not generally perform addition or subtraction there are many different styles of slide rules. To use a slide rule to multiply 2 numbers together, move the decimal points for each number you are multiplying so they fall between the values of 1 and 10. Using a slide rule is a bit of a lost art but with a bit of practice, it can be a useful everyday tool.
Issue 12 contains my first published gazette article entitled thacher accuracy with unique expenditure. The appeal of slide rules for use and as collectables. Get the best deals on circular slide rule when you shop the largest online selection at. Two are publicdomain photographs of antique slide rules.
The full pickett teachers manual is now on line here for you. 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. Slide rule was invented by english minister william oughtred in 1622. 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 there are many different styles of slide rules. With this circular slide rule, inverse proportion should always be done between d and cl. Pickett model 14 war department technical manual, rule, slide, military. The slide rule also does not tell you the sign of your result. 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. All other scales on a slide rule are referenced to the c and d scales. Circular slide rule calculators wheel chart volvelles. I did a lot of research on them, and when i did, i discovered that there are circular variations. The slide rule, also known as a slipstick, is a mechanical analog computer. Using the language, symbols, and graphics relevant your industry, we reinvent the wheel for you.
A slide rule is a mechanical device that uses the alignment of numeric values marked on sliding scales to perform mathematical calculations. How to use a circular slide rule caliper timepieces inc. Unlike earlier versions of my circular slide rule, i put it far enough towards the outside that i could graduate it for a 20 inch rule instead of as for a 10 inch rule. Delamain constructed the first circular slide rule.
Includes a slide show of famous and interesting slide rules, most of which are in the authors collection. As many of you know, watches with slide rule functions have 2 logarithmic scales the outer of which turns. My collection of circular and combination slide rule devices. The slide rule, or slipstick, is a mechanical analog computer. This one features a logarithmic scale for multiplication that makes five turns around the rule.
Company logo, 1969 sales brochures 236 kb pdf, 1972 patent 1mb pdf. Although its slide rule features are limited to the unlabelled cd scales on the circular front portion, this lowtech device is commonly used by pilots for flight path calculations, wind correction, fuel consumption, etc. Museum of hp calculators slide rule page a very cool page with all sorts of explanations of how sliderules work and pictures of various types, including circular and cylindrical. A large number of templates for circular slide rules are given, along with many other templates. Compared to a calculator, a slide rule is severely limited in its accuracy. The top picture shows the setting for the multiplier 8 in the sum 8 x 6. Slide rules usually look like a narrow ruler, but for todays demonstration we will be building a circular slide rule. Our next project will include a circular slide rule in the design of the watch. The schumacher slide rule has unusual scale divisions and configuration. Many pilots watches made make use of a circular slide rule on the bezel of the watch. Angle divisions were originally in minutes, but decimal divisions gradually became predominant, in decitrig slide rules. Adding slide rules are not practical, but demonstrate how to use a slide rule in a simple.
Many but not all slide rule watches have the time scale and unit conversions of the navitimer. After seeing phil bs making your own slide rule, i went on a huge slide rule kick. Are you sure you wish to merge the topic into the topic. You read off the sum of and by using the movable cursor. Addition slide rule wolfram demonstrations project. This is the second of three possible backgrounds for the circular slide rule. Some circular slide rules seem to be a familar linear rule in circular formfactor. Read both the multipliers and the results on the linear scales on the cursors not on the spiral. A fairly standard rule and useful as a guide for many other rules. Gregs slide rules concise circular slide rules no 28n.
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