I went to grade school from 1962-70. HS 1970-74
No calculators in GS. They weren't around. We learned math the old fashion way. Pencil, paper and scrunching up forehead.
No calculators in HS. They were just coming around and really expensive. We used slide rules.
This is what a slide rule looked like, for the youngsters;
Yeah, we had those advanced mathematical devices when I was in school too. same years as you, Calculators didn’t exist.
I always ask myself on these math highlights today, What ever happened to elementary school, cuz thats when we learned the basics like this.
Still have mine at 82 - and remember how to use it! It’s a Sun - Hemmi I bought in Hong Kong for like $3. Has Chemical scales on it (Atomic weights, pressure and temperature conversions).
Yeah, I remember those days in school, slavin’ over a hot Pickett :-)
What is interesting is that no one makes them anymore. Real traditional slide rules sell used for $200 to $800.
I have several slide rules still, but if you asked me to use them today I would struggle.
Funny. When I started Georgia Tech in 1977, they still used slide rules but they quickly started to disappear with calculators like the TI-55 or the more expensive HP35.
That said, during one Chemistry class test we were asked on a question to calculate the number of moles in a substance and given two numbers to multiply was all that need be done. I laughed when I realized WHY that question - all the calculators were flashing “E” for error, over capacity.
Professor had included it to demonstrate the power of logarithms (adding two logs is multiplying, etc.). With a slide rule it was a few second process and I got the answer with the slide rule I could only afford at the time. But I very soon there after went digital. Graduated in 1980 - 12 straight quarters for a BSEE from The North Avenue Trade School (as we called it).
