Have you ever wondered how engineers did their calculations before the calculator was invented and then used worldwide? It was a device known as the Slide Rule. I used it when I was in SP in the year 1975-1976. Calculators were already available, but were only allowed for use in mid-1976 onwards. The most popular brand at that time, and for many years after that, was Casio.
The Slide Rule looks like this:
It basically has a body, one ruler that you can slide, and a transparent plastic piece (with a fine line on it acting as a cursor). To use, you hold the outer frame or body, slide the ruler, then use the cursor for reading. The basic functions include multiplication, division, logarithm, roots, and trigonometry.
There are a few rows of numbers for different functions. You need to learn how to choose the correct rows. A closer look at the cursor:
If the cursor shows the answer in between two markings, then the user will have to estimate the value indicated. Search the Internet if you wish to know more. So now you know how lucky students are today with the convenience of calculators and computers?
2 comments:
I was really asking myself this question. Thank you for this instructive answer.
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