I missed the slide rule era. I went to engineering school in the early 1990s. My weapon of choice was a $350 HP48SX which I still have. Of course, if I need it in a pinch nowadays, I also have it as an app on my phone – which I downloaded for free. Sigh.
In the late 1990s, I was working as an inspector. Our department dispositioned the discrepant parts and material that any large manufacturing plant generates.We had some young, graduate engineers on their first job.These engineers were giving me a hard time about my dispositions. I had been doing this work 15 years at this time. One day an older engineer was digging around in his desk and pulled out a Post Versa-log slide rule. Just like the one I used in college. It cost me $40 when I made $35 a week. So the chimping started amongst the graduate engineers. A couple knew what it was. Finally one asked the magic question, “How does it work?” The old engineer pitched it to me and said let’s work some problems. I told him to keep it simple because I hadn’t held one in 30 years. I worked a few simple problems, to the amazement of the graduate engineers. One of the brighter ones asked how did it work.I said, " Logarithmic scales. You know multiplication is just the addition of logarithms and division is the subraction of logarithms." They didn’t. The plus side was that they never ever questioned my dispostions again.
I think you beat me, I got my Post Versa-log about 1964. It’s made of bamboo and is still tight and smooth.I believe I still have my first calculator. I don’t remember what brand.Mother Schaum is doing fine. Thorby sends his regards.
OH Boy!! Reading the first comment encouraged me to go to a long-unopened drawer and pull out not only my Post Versalog but also a couple even older Post sliderules. Both had the number 1447 and one also had “No. 40RK” though both appear to be identical. And to know these little gems probably had a large impact on putting humans on the moon and chunks of Earth materials beyond Pluto – go figure (just using the C and D scales, of course!)R. Galli (71)Edison, NJ
I threw away my slide rule many years ago. Their time was over. I’ll take a good scientific calculator any day. I also no longer have my TS 1000. I’ll keep my iMac.
I used a simple one in my math and science classes in the late Sixties. I understand that the fancy ones are now sought after and that collectors hunt through garage sales looking for them.
FORTRAN IV? Latecomer. Mine (if I had them) would have FORTRAN II. I learned on an IBM 1620 as big as this room. And my slide rule (won in the state math contest in 1963) was a Post Versalog.
Like most of you I still have a couple of my ‘rules’ in a drawer somewhere. My first one was one I got from a course in slide rule from Cleveland Institute of Electronics (CIE) back in 1964. It came with a reinforced leather belt case and was a beauty.At the company I worked I had the opportunity to use an IBM 7070 (which was NOT desktop-sized) my first computer was one cobbled together from an old Popular Science magazine project. From there to an Altair, a TRS-80, a Coleco Adam (still have it), and a series of HPs.In the mean time I picked up the know-how from college and built/build my own.Now, retired, like most folk I use calculators. The one I use most is a simple TI-89 Titanium graphing calc.
I don’t use my old slide rules any more but I still use an abacus. It’s still better for some things than an electronic computer – for keeping score at darts, for instance.
Tirasmol almost 9 years ago
My father went to work for Dupont as a computer programmer in the 60s. We still have boxes of punch cards in the attic.
biglar almost 9 years ago
I missed the slide rule era. I went to engineering school in the early 1990s. My weapon of choice was a $350 HP48SX which I still have. Of course, if I need it in a pinch nowadays, I also have it as an app on my phone – which I downloaded for free. Sigh.
Old Texan75 almost 9 years ago
In the late 1990s, I was working as an inspector. Our department dispositioned the discrepant parts and material that any large manufacturing plant generates.We had some young, graduate engineers on their first job.These engineers were giving me a hard time about my dispositions. I had been doing this work 15 years at this time. One day an older engineer was digging around in his desk and pulled out a Post Versa-log slide rule. Just like the one I used in college. It cost me $40 when I made $35 a week. So the chimping started amongst the graduate engineers. A couple knew what it was. Finally one asked the magic question, “How does it work?” The old engineer pitched it to me and said let’s work some problems. I told him to keep it simple because I hadn’t held one in 30 years. I worked a few simple problems, to the amazement of the graduate engineers. One of the brighter ones asked how did it work.I said, " Logarithmic scales. You know multiplication is just the addition of logarithms and division is the subraction of logarithms." They didn’t. The plus side was that they never ever questioned my dispostions again.
Old Texan75 almost 9 years ago
I think you beat me, I got my Post Versa-log about 1964. It’s made of bamboo and is still tight and smooth.I believe I still have my first calculator. I don’t remember what brand.Mother Schaum is doing fine. Thorby sends his regards.
Robert Galli Premium Member almost 9 years ago
OH Boy!! Reading the first comment encouraged me to go to a long-unopened drawer and pull out not only my Post Versalog but also a couple even older Post sliderules. Both had the number 1447 and one also had “No. 40RK” though both appear to be identical. And to know these little gems probably had a large impact on putting humans on the moon and chunks of Earth materials beyond Pluto – go figure (just using the C and D scales, of course!)R. Galli (71)Edison, NJ
rudym300 almost 9 years ago
“Rosebud.”
mattro65 almost 9 years ago
I threw away my slide rule many years ago. Their time was over. I’ll take a good scientific calculator any day. I also no longer have my TS 1000. I’ll keep my iMac.
Robert Wilson Premium Member almost 9 years ago
I used a simple one in my math and science classes in the late Sixties. I understand that the fancy ones are now sought after and that collectors hunt through garage sales looking for them.
DavStevens almost 9 years ago
FORTRAN IV? Latecomer. Mine (if I had them) would have FORTRAN II. I learned on an IBM 1620 as big as this room. And my slide rule (won in the state math contest in 1963) was a Post Versalog.
Vonne Anton almost 9 years ago
Oh yeah!?!?!? Well, I got all o’you beat! I still use my original fingers to count!
zeimetr almost 9 years ago
Just like the old song says “don’t know what a slide rule is for!”
dutchs almost 9 years ago
Slide rule. I have several. Solid state analog display with no batteries needed.
craigwestlake almost 9 years ago
Like most of you I still have a couple of my ‘rules’ in a drawer somewhere. My first one was one I got from a course in slide rule from Cleveland Institute of Electronics (CIE) back in 1964. It came with a reinforced leather belt case and was a beauty.At the company I worked I had the opportunity to use an IBM 7070 (which was NOT desktop-sized) my first computer was one cobbled together from an old Popular Science magazine project. From there to an Altair, a TRS-80, a Coleco Adam (still have it), and a series of HPs.In the mean time I picked up the know-how from college and built/build my own.Now, retired, like most folk I use calculators. The one I use most is a simple TI-89 Titanium graphing calc.
CougarAllen almost 9 years ago
I don’t use my old slide rules any more but I still use an abacus. It’s still better for some things than an electronic computer – for keeping score at darts, for instance.