Anyone ever use a slide rule ?

[divingin]

Social Science major here. Studied the intricacies of abnormal psychology, deviant behavior, juvenile delinquency, then theology, Biblical doctrine and eschatology.

Had to look that one up...

 

[Gina1]

I have mine in a glass case on the wall in my office. With the title under it "In case of power failure, break glass"

 

[powderbrake]

I had a Post slide rule which I used until I graduated in 1959. As soon as the HP35 came out I bought one, I was the only engineer in the company who had one. With it's Reverse Polish notation, and no = sign, it was weird but wonderful.
I used it in Grad school, and to help design the nuclear reactor Rod Drive Controls we built for submarines.
I still have it somewhere ( I think). My brother used a K&E slide rule in Electrical Engineering, and he bought the HP45, which had a magnetic card reader.

 

[Just Say Moe]

Here's one you guys probably haven't seen before:

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Help us out here - center picture - I'm guessing slide to take off weight? What is calculated? and what is the Index at the bottom?

 

[Just Say Moe]

Did my masters and doctorate in a 20 year program of applied theory in the University of Observed Stupidity.

If I had a slide rule, it would likely be used to stir pancake batter.

Classic!

 

[jackieschmidt]

When I took Physics in High School, we were issued a single slide slide rule.
with it, we could add, subtract, multiply, divide, square numbers, find square roots, etc.

It came in handy in working equations.

After that, I never used one again. In later years, we always had an engineers calculator, and now, my I-Pad, which can instantly calculate just about anything.

 

[3Sigma]

My old man tells the story of when they first had calculators in engineering school...

The calculators didn't have batteries, so he had to get there early to get a seat next to a wall outlet. Brought along a slide rule as backup.

He taught me to use it in middle school (I was in algebra), a yellow plastic one. I remember thinking it would take forever to figure out a problem, especially when I had a watch calculator (yes, I was a nerd)

Inherited my sister's TI-85 and used that in high school, writing BASIC programs to solve geometry and physics problems.

I used a HP48 (screw RPN) and Ti89 in engineering school, the latter in grad school when symbolic math calculators were acceptable during a test.

I should get his old one from him... not a bad skill to renew.

 

[jamesdmock]

When I started to college in 1962, I bought a K&E and used it for a year until it was stolen. I did not replace it.

 

[Brians356]

Help us out here - center picture - I'm guessing slide to take off weight? What is calculated? and what is the Index at the bottom?

The pics are two sides of a single slide rule. I know nothing about how to use it, but what it's for is obvious if you analyze the markings.
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[Brians356]

Social Science major here.

"Social Science" is a non sequitur ain't it?
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[snert]

"Social Science" is a non sequitur ain't it?
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I always called it the non science science. Because if you think our current medical science is fail proof (follow the science) then prepare to have your brain scrambled when you delve into the world of "science" in the humanities. Never has there been an area of study that wanders more in the dry wilderness of vapid theory than social science.

However, the study of human behavior and a sick curiosity that made me a professional observer of human behavior has saved my life several times. So it wasn't for nothing.

All that said I am in awe of you math nerds.

 

[Big Mc]

I got this in a yard sale thinking "cool".
Humm, it'll take longer to learn how than it's worth.

The paragraph on "Who should use the slide rule" is interesting.
View attachment 1344107View attachment 1344106
Copyright 1932

I am a PE here in Texas back in 1972 when I got my license that was all we had. Tommy Mc I still have my K&E works great.

 

[Petey]

How many of you oil & gas guys have used one of these “computers”? Still have this one in my desk

 

[Luisyamaha]

Somewhere or other I read that the machine (tooling) to make slide rules is no longer being used, but is stored away safely, just in case an electromagnetic pulse makes all electronics unusable and we need to go back to the slide rule. Conceivably the machine is manually operated. One of those things kept safe for a doomsday scenario.

Luisyamaha

 

[ebb]

I used to have a job specific plastic slide rule to figure concrete. align length , width and depth and the correct number of yards of concrete appeared right in the window. no muss no fuss just the right number of yards every time. But as always garbage in garbage out.

 

[DocCarbon]

A slide rule was required while I attended college ,it was known as a pocket calculator and without it or not knowing how to use it ; You weren't in Chemistry ,Physics , Mathematics or Engineering of any sorts .
Achieved My PhD. in Chemistry along with MSEng. with it and there was NO ARPA . If memory serves I don't believe I even saw a electronic calculator until My 5 Th. or 6 Th. year of college .

I did buy a Nifty little scientific pocket calculator from Radio Shack ,when they became available ,best damn investment I ever made . Nearly forgot used one to earn My PPL ,as it was also required so as to pass ground school .

 

[old codger]

Used a slip stick in high school and college. Also used drafting machine all the way to the mid 90s.

 

[Alexander-M]

Started college in 1963 with this beauty - Dietzgen Microglide Vector Log-Log as required for EE at Indiana Institute of Technology. Two degrees and years later, then at Purdue University, I used an HP scientific calculator. Downside: couldn't use the proverbial "slide rule inaccuracy" excuse for a bad answer in a test.



Alex
(Yes, that is the original, almost 60 years old.)

 

[Bamban]

I got this in a yard sale thinking "cool".
Humm, it'll take longer to learn how than it's worth.

The paragraph on "Who should use the slide rule" is interesting.
View attachment 1344107View attachment 1344106
Copyright 1932

I had the same one when I started school in 69. We even had slide rule competition sponsored by the Physics department. The Chinese students dominated it year after year.

 

[CharlieNC]

The HP scientific calculator hit the market when I was in grad school. At $450 it cost the same as a good used car, so the slide rule sufficed until employers made them available. My circular slide rule is filled with useful formulas, constants, and even the periodic table.