On Mon, May 19, 2008 at 01:52:09PM +1000, Greg 'groggy' Lehey wrote: > On Sunday, 18 May 2008 at 17:18:30 -0400, Jim Capozzoli wrote: > > So, I pulled out the slide rule yesterday that's older then I am..and > > I figured out how to multiply/divide on it. Is there anybody out > > there still using slide rules for day to day math? Or does anybody > > have any interesting stories/reminiscences about slide rules? I was > > considering figuring out how to do Trig on it and then taking my Trig > > final with it. :) > > Heh. I don't know where my slide rule is, but it's definitely a lot > younger than I am. So the following is from memory. It applies to > the conventional slide rules that I know, with C/D scales going from 1 > to 10 at the bottom, and A/B scales going from 1 to 100 at the top > (giving squares of the corresponding scale below). > > To multiply two numbers, you place the 1 on the C scale (bottom of the > slide) against the first number on the D scale (directly below on the > body). Move the cursor (or your eye :-) to the second number on the C > scale, and read off the result on the D scale. > > To divide one number by another, you place the divisor the C scale > above the dividend on the D scale. Read off the quotient on the D > scale below the 1 on the C scale. > > Greg > -- > See complete headers for address and phone numbers.
I'm afraid I don;t use it much - but I still have mine to hand. It's on my
desk, in New York City, with a cricket ball. Both objects are there to
confuse the locals. Both succeed.
John
--
Unreal City,
Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,
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