That is a lie. I have three and I never heard of the guy.
I taught myself to learn to use a slide rule when I was 14. My father gave me a book about it.
We’ll still use slide rules when we have starships…
Don’t know much about algebra.
Don’t know what a slide rule is for.
In college, about 1985...our math professor made us use a slide rule...even though calculators were available. He wanted us to learn to approximate in our head...
I have two P12Cs. Awesome calculator; I’ve used one my entire adult life. Never got the hang of slide rules.
My father had one but I never learned how to use it. I came of age just as the handheld calculator became available.
Still have the aluminum K&E I bought in high school (1960) with its’ leather scabbard. We nerds used to carry ‘em on our belts like gunfighters.
Along with my collection of mechanical watches, vernier calipers, and other such non-electronic nonsense.
I still have my slide rule given to me when I was in junior high. I also have the nuclear effects slide rule.
e to the u du — e to the x, dx!
Cosine! Secant! Tangent! Sine!
3 point 1 4 1 5 9!
Integral! Radical! mu, dv
Slipstick! Slide rule! MIT!
— Traditional MIT cheer
Slide Rule ping.
Slide rules made the SR-71 and got us to the Moon. I have a slide rule app on my iPad just for fun.
The thing about slide rules is that you could make them for anything. I’ve seen them for calculating nuclear weapons effects and one specific to the performance of the P-51 Mustang.
One of my favorite memories of my son, who was something of a math wiz and grew up with calculators, was when he was in middle school and I showed him how to do multiplication on my old Keuffel and Esser, to which he responded “What wondrous sorcery is this!”
At age 12, my father gave me a small slide rule. Two years prior, I hafd taken the FAA grouund school and ised the then ccirrent circular ground nav slife rule.In the military basic electronics class, slide rules were prohibiyef but electronic slide rules were allowed.
ROP PROFESSOR.
I have not seen Pickles Sorrell mentioned in years. Always found anything involving her funny. Interesting article.
Paul Simon best expressed my understanding of a slide rule.
Have a small collection here. K&E Decillon 68-1100, A few Post 1460 and 1461 rules, Dietzgens, Hemmis, Picketts. I keep a Teledyne Post 44CA-600 or Post 1460 out on the desk and still use them. Pull out a Hemmi 260 on occasion. They make you think about what you’re doing.
Sad to see Mr. Shawlee go.
The International Slide Rule Museum has a huge collection and a lot of duplicates are for sale. Mr. Mike Konshak is the curator. I expect Mr. Konshak and Mr. Shawlee knew each other.
I also have an operational HP41CX. Best calculator ever made in my not so humble opinion. /grin/
My Opa was an outstanding engineer (he got a patent for the tech that made an elevator stop at the right floor which eventually led to the demise of elevator operators!) and he had a full collection of "Ingenious Mechanisms for Designers and Inventors" in his basement. I spent hours as a teen going through those wonderful books trying to figure out how those incredible mechanisms worked. Most of those mechanisms for complex motion are now replaced by digital electronics and control systems. Kinematics just isn't what it used to be.
I am *badly* math challenged, but have a good slide rule somewhere. I don’t have an abacus yet, but hope to get one. Have studied Greek and Hebrew and am challenged by those, too. Just a plebe. A Spartan.
So much to be thankful for, but especially thankful for a mind that is capable. Now if I could just use it!
High Speed "Slip-stick".