slipping sticks

From: Philip.Belben_at_powertech.co.uk <(Philip.Belben_at_powertech.co.uk)>
Date: Fri Feb 6 08:59:06 1998

>>No, I do not have _my_ high school/college slide rule, which was a
>>magnificent 12" yellow aluminum Pickett with a hard leather case and a belt
>>loop. ...

Nice! Why have I never seen an aluminium slide rule?

Also, for the benefit of us non-Americans, what approximate age is "high
school"?

At school slide rules were the only permitted calculating machines in
maths classes up to age 16 in my day (academic year 1982-83)
(requirement was dropped a couple of years later). I went through a
series of cheap plastic ones and ended up with an expensive plastic one
- I asked the local stationers for a replacement cursor and they sold me
this really nice slide rule for the same price (one pound) just to get
rid of it! This too has lost its cursor, tho' I believe I still have
the rule somewhere.

More recently I bought a decent wooden one for a similar price at a car
boot sale - still in box with plate glass cursor. I also have a special
purpose cardboard one with two slides that is meant to calculate the
flow of water through pipes of various sizes, materials and gradients.

>>700+ units. Me, I have 30, including a 7 foot long Pickett classroom rule.

Wow! On a 7 foot rule you should be able to get four sig. figs without
too much interpolation anywhere along the length. Or are the markings
too coarse for that?

Philip.
Received on Fri Feb 06 1998 - 08:59:06 GMT