Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Where are all the slide rules?

This is topic Where are all the slide rules? in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Jim Bedford (Member # 4) on 04-14-2006, 11:48 AM:

When I was in high school and college everyone taking an upper level math class or who were remotely interested in math or science had a slide rule or two. Where are they now? There's about 400 or so listed on ebay, but where are the other half-billion or so? When was last time you saw one used?

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 04-14-2006, 12:11 PM:

They are obsolete collectors items now. The last time I used mine was in electronics class around 1970. The H-P 35 Scientific calculator appeared not too long after that and rendered them obsolete.... although a few old farts might still use them. The actual obsolessence of the slide ruler started with A-bomb development during WW-2. There were simply too many calculations to do for developing the implosion method that at first desk adding machines were brought in, later punch card readers and sorters until J Presper Eckert and John Mauchly developed the Eniac Computer which was first used near the end of the war, several years later John Von Neumann added memory to the Eniac.
H-P 35 Web Site

Eniac Computer

Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 04-14-2006, 02:17 PM:

I had three slide rules back in the late 1950's. One was wood with engraved scales. The second was Magnesium with bonded white scales of a plastic material. The last one was ROUND with a spiral scale. That made the scale equivalent to a rule 3 feet long.

Big problem with the slide rules was the need to make an "estimated answer" so you know where to place the decimal point.

The rules were still better than just a pencil and paper for figuring 6 tower phased array towers in broadcast.

KEN

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 04-14-2006, 03:36 PM:

Possibly a little off-topic, because he doesn't actually mention slide rules or their use in the book, but Slide Rule is one of my favourite autobiographies, and the technical detail around aircraft engineering in the '30s is fascinating.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 04-14-2006, 04:57 PM:

quote: Kenneth Wuepper
Big problem with the slide rules was the need to make an "estimated answer" so you know where to place the decimal point.

I agree... I could NEVER get that right! [Roll Eyes]

I nailed my old college Geeky Magnesium alloy Pickett slide rule to my "Wall of Remembrance" in my game room years ago... [beer]

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 04-14-2006, 05:01 PM:

Somebody wipped out a slide rule as a demonstration in High School in the '70s. Last time I used one was as a Flight Computer in Ground School. All the other students could talk about was buying electronic flight computers.

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 04-14-2006, 05:02 PM:

We still teach parts of aerial navigation using E-6B style "computers" (circular slide rule on one side, visual wind drift solution on the other). Accurate enough for flying work, and much cheaper than the electronic flight calculators being offered today. Doesn't need any batteries, and if you drop it or lose it or leave it in the sun, you're not out all that much scratch. Still have both a miniature aluminum Jeppesen E-6B and a plastic circular CR-2. The CR-2 is great for calculating ram rise compensated true air speed and mach numbers.

Also still have my old aluminum slide rule and belt-hook leather case from Cleveland Institute of Electronics (CIE) circa 1973. Remember them? [Big Grin]

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 04-14-2006, 07:57 PM:

Phil, Do you still have pinball machines? [thumbsup]

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 04-14-2006, 08:28 PM:

David, out of 7 pinball machines (restored with new playfields) I used to have, I only have 2 left NOW from my divorce before the judge stopped my ex-wife from selling my treasures. My ex-wife sold much of my stuff and toys, including the pinballs, jukeboxes, dart games, ham radio, audio and biz equipment, etc...behind my back.

I still have immaculate "Fun Fest" and "Flash" pinballs, a DART game, a Seeburg "R", and odd and ends...

I really enjoy restoring all that stuff...

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 04-14-2006, 08:43 PM:

Too bad, sounds like you got taken to the cleaners. [Frown]

Pnball machines are a great hobby. Working on them is probably not that unrelated to working on projectors. [Wink]

I've owned as many as about 15 pins at one time, but am down to 2 now: Medieval Madness, and Blackout (the latter is an early solid-state game).

To keep this sort of on-topic, when I was in high school around 1970, we were required to learn how to use slide rules. I had a nice yellow Pickett, made out of aluminum.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-15-2006, 02:18 AM:

..is that a DataEast machine? you prob had some good ol Ballys, Gottlieb's and Williams hanging around.

Used to be a game mech on the side...

-Monte

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 04-15-2006, 09:20 AM:

Medieval Madness is a Williams from 1997 (Williams got out of the pinball business in 1999). Blackout is a Williams from early 80s, 81 I think.

The only remaining full-time manufacturer of pinball machines in the world is Stern Pinball Inc. in Melrose Park, Illinois.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 04-18-2006, 11:31 PM:

This is kind of freaky! Not two days ago, I got my latest issue of Scientific American in the mail. One of the articles is a nostalgia piece about the slide rule!

According to the author, slide rules helped speed up their own demise because the people who made the first computers and calculators used slide rules to design them!