Slide rules who uses them?

[Bod]

Just been viewing the latest David Stanley auction entries, there is quite a number of lots, consisting of nothing but slide rules! There must be 50+ rules.
Where did they come from?
I was taught how to use them at school in the early 70's, but by mid 70's electronic calculators had started, and by 1980 had become cheap.

Bod

 

[Monkey Mark]

I went to school in the 80's and 90's and they were obviously seen as old hat by then as I've never used one.

 

[novocaine]

My nice watch has one on the bezel. I use it on a regular basis, mainly just to amaze people who have genuinely never heard of or seen a slide rule.

(as a note, I'm only 34. I was shown how to use a slide rule by my father)

 

[RogerP]

I go to car-boot a couple of times a week and see no end of slide rules, they mostly look unused and sell (if at all) for very little.

I often wonder whether I'm passing over some gems but have no way of knowing.

There must be some collectors of these things.

 

[AndyT]

To some people, they are the ideal collectable - disregarded by many; available in huge variety; easy to store.

I used to have a nice one "as used on the Apollo space programme". Unfortunately I spilt polystyrene cement on it and ruined it.

 

[Glynne]

I still have the one I used for A levels and university - it really annoys the kids so well worth bringing out when the are glued to their iPhones.

 

[mind_the_goat]

I still have the one I brought when I was at school, I don't think it was an essential item then but I was a bit of a geek and just wanted one. We did use log tables for O levels but by the time I took A levels, scientific calculators were being allowed on some papers. I still have the Casio Calculator from then as well.

 

[Chippygeoff]

I used to use one all the time when I was in the Merchant Navy for working out out speed, ETA and course work. Initially it was hard but I soon got used to it and after a while it only took seconds to work out calculations.I doubt if they are used now what with satellite navigation. but in the olden days we only had a compass, a chart, a pair of dividers, parallel rules and my slide rule.

 

[Zeddedhed]

I'm 47 and went to a grammar school yet I've never seen one in my life. I have heard they exist though.
Presumably they are like some kind of portable abacus?

 

[Monkey Mark]

https://youtu.be/xYhOoYf_XT0

 

[flying haggis]

can I add to the original question another one?

Who can still remember how to use them?

 

[woodpig]

I don't even use a calculator any more. The App on my iPad has far more functionality than a mere Calculator.

 

[DrPhill]

In fact, just type your calculation into your browser search bar

eg 27 * 3

 

[RogerP]

I try to do basic calculations in my head. I've noticed people getting out their phone/pad/calculators to do such easy basic stuff that I wonder if the brains of the iPhone/iPad generation will begin shrinking, or have they already?

 

[Student]

Like Glynne, I bought one for A levels and university but, in the event, hardly ever used it when doing mathematics as this was mainly theoretical. For the engineers, however, it was an indispensable piece of kit. Mine is/was still in the loft but, unless I watched the video referred to by Mark, I doubt if I could still use it. When I started work in 1970, most calculations were still being done with logarithms or Munroe hand-cranked calculators although shoe box sized electronic calculators were just starting to be used.

 

[AndyT]

The common sort for multiplication and division are easy enough - you are adding lengths of rule which correspond to the logarithms of the numbers.

But back in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries there were loads of specialist rules, to work out things like the amount of beer left in a part-empty barrel; the weight of an ox from its length and breadth; the amount of commercially saleable timber that could be got out of a standing tree, and many more.

To a collector there is the excitement of identifying such a rarity, which its seller had not understood or appreciated, and buying it for a few pence.

(I'm not a collector btw, and only have three slide rules, which I don't use - but would not throw away!)

 

[bugbear]

I go to car-boot a couple of times a week and see no end of slide rules, they mostly look unused and sell (if at all) for very little.

I often wonder whether I'm passing over some gems but have no way of knowing.

There must be some collectors of these things.

You need to know your stuff. Most (95%) of slide rules are only worth a coupla' quid. The basic 10 or 12 inch models
with 4-8 scales, made for students, draughtsmen and engineers.

But some are worth hundreds, or even thousands.

One of my car boot sale coups was to admire a slide rule being sold by a guy, and being told
that I was the only person to show an interest (and it had been his working tool, back in the day).

So he gave it to me.

It was a custom job, with loads of scales pre-calculated for radar work.

I swapped it with a slide rule collector I know for a 1928 Buck & Hickman catalogue in lovely condition.

BugBear

 

[mseries]

Not me, never used one, never been taught how to use one. Never had the need to be honest, I can do arithmetic in my head easily enough and when i can't a pencil and paper is adequate - or a calculator app on my phone or computer.

 

[beech1948]

Yup, still have mine from 1963 and still use it and a second one given to me by Ricoh MD of engineering in Japan. For a few complex ccalcs they are quicker than an electronic calculator but for most simple stuff I do it in my head. Agree that the lack of such skills is damaging the younger types who seem to get there but have no idea how they did it.

 

[Jacob]

I've still got two (including a circular one; ex Open University) and really like the idea of using them but never really get around to it.