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Way Off Subject

With that one tool you can build a pyramid, build a rocket ship to go to the moon or use it as a depth gauge to measure a wood bowl on the lathe, all depends on the operator. :-)
 
I used one in high school and freshman in college. Mine was cheap aluminum.
Then I got into applied mathematics courses where I got to use an IBM 360 to solve big problems.

Applied math is finding the wrong answer fast but knowing how wrong it can be.
 
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Didn't wear them out but two left in a home robbery incident about 20 years ago. Guess the thieves were young enough that they didn't know what they were used for. Assumed they must be valuable because they were in leather cases in the back of a desk drawer. A friend mounted his in a glass picture frame with a sign "In case of complete electrical failure, break glass."
 
Dad's....he would not touch a computer
 

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Still have mine from when I was a prospective physics-astronomy major in 1970. Aluminum -- I remember long discussions as to whether aluminum or bamboo was better. I think aluminum was cheaper.
 
Still have mine from college physics class. Back in the mid 50s, my father was an ME and saw guys go through calculations like a hot knife through warm butter. FWIW, one engineer was given the task of figuring the sway of a 700 foot radio tower on a mountain top in WV. He was to go through various wind velocities. Dad said he filled several sheets of desk pad paper. When someone asks, "What is a slide rule?" I assign that as a homework assignment.
Clifton- perfect what?????:rolleyes:
 
John, the perfect child of course, most of the time. Well, some of the time... Ok, I tried to be good...
Hearing the stories from my sister, maybe I miss-remembered. :eek::D
 
Mine was a Post Versalog, bamboo with leather case. It was around 20 bucks at the university's bookstore, on eBay that's about the current price. As I recall the Versalog came with a clip to snap onto your belt, it was generally considered too nerdy to use.
 
Learned to use in tech school and used them for work until the first electronic calculators were introduced. I still have a couple around somewhere but I can barely remember how to use them.
 
I had my K & E bamboo slide rule and the abacus I picked up in Hong Kong in 1960 framed. They hung over my computer in my office. They had a "Bug Free" label.
 
A professor that I had for a trig class in the early seventies told about writing what he considered a very good book on using the slide rule just as pocket calculators became popular.

About a decade later I went to an engagement party for a brother-in-law. The father of the bride was this same professor, he was grilling food in the back yard, looked at me and said I looked familiar. I replied, yes I had you for two classes and you flunked me both times! He had a look of panic until I quickly told him I was just kidding. :D
 
The chief engineer at a radio station I once worked for (WHO-AM) designed a tuned, 780 foot tall, 3/4 wave AM radio antenna with his slide rule.
 
I'm a little too young to have used one, but played with one as a kid right as electric calculators were coming on the scene.

I once asked my elementary math teacher why we had to remember times tables when most people owned calculators. She said: "When there's a calculator on a watch, I'll never ask a student to learn their times tables. Until then...learn your times tables!"

My sailboat came with a sextant. I held onto it for a decade, and just gave away the sextant recently.
 
I had a slide rule at one time.......beyond a few very rudimentary calculations, I never really learned how to use it........but, I did have an addiator for quite a long time, and gave it away as a gift about 10 years ago! I'm betting a few here remember these, too! :D

-----odie-----
bOuvuHHtzdpbis35h4Kf--OFYqNF1TVbFWH7MUnS-jy-gAdIFj8Vkcu63Nd9krMuca7sdulh5Gsmg36eFq6FVUXfafVSex5hCzFhCJFEtP-dnhMH4rvwf3yQJzhIo3fz31hcfhc
 
stu senator said:
This was hung over my CAD system but I never got around to the hammer and sign saying "break glass in case of emergency"


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Stu
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Never needed batteries!
odie, my wife and I had one when we were first married to keep track of grocery purchases as we went through the store. The first thing on the list was ice cream. Everything else was optional. At least it was to me.
 
John Torchick said:
Never needed batteries!
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Neither does a pencil. It always gets the write answer too.

there is a story about Mrs. Einstein touring a computer complex. When she asked what they did with all the machines she was told the did physics. She replied with - gee my husband does physics but he uses a pencil.
 
I remember playing with my dad's slide rule as a kid, never for its intended purpose though.

I never heard of an Addiator so I just watched a video on it, that is just so cool. I need one of those!! Not sure why, I just have to have one though
 
I frequent a couple of WWing forums. The thing is Sketchup and some other things available for drawing. Me? Pencil, ruler, graph paper to create a scale- works every time. Tried Sketchup and gaveup.
 
Dennis J Gooding said:
Has anyone but me ever worn one of these out? Just ran across this old friend while cleaning out my attic the other day.
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I this Pickett, but mine has a black case. When I went to A school in the early 70's it was the weapon of choice for aspiring Navy techs (besides, that's what they sold at the exchange). I think it's impossible to wear out the legends.
 
A college friend joined the Navy out of high school. He said he only used his slide rule to tap the tubes in the radar equipment to make sure they were snug.
 
John Torchick said:
A college friend joined the Navy out of high school. He said he only used his slide rule to tap the tubes in the radar equipment to make sure they were snug.
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LOLS, I used mine for a couple years to calculate the voltages I ought to be seeing while testing. After that I bought a calculator that ate 4 AA cells every few hours and counted myself lucky that it didn't cost $100.
 
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