Can you use a slide rule?

[Schadenfroh]

Old school geeks check in with the poll!

I own one, but I need to learn how to work it. I am hooked on my TI-83 Plus and TI-30X IIB.

 

[tfinch2]

I thought you left AT

 

[FoBoT]

no
my dad had one

i think i learned how to use one once, maybe in high school?

 

[BrokenVisage]

Originally posted by: tfinch2
I thought you left AT

 

[datalink7]

Originally posted by: tfinch2
I thought you left AT

You can check out any time you want, but you can never leave.

 

[waggy]

i have one somewhere. yes i learned how to use it but couldnt tell you now. its been at least 15+ years

 

[Kalvin00]

no, i cant

 

[CaptnKirk]

Well, yeah - why. It's not that big of a mystery.

Put the little marks into alignment, mentaly multilpy the last numbers ( like 9 X 9 = 81 ) to get the last figure/digit.
Interpolate.

Instructions

 

[Squisher]

Give me a minute and it might start to come back to me.

Let's see, 8th and 9th grade would've been 35 years ago.

 

[Born2bwire]

I have my dad's stashed somewhere. I figured out how to do basic operations, like roots, powers, multiplication, division, etc. Heh, it's a nice one too, the case still is inscribed with his fraternity and name.

 

[thehstrybean]

I've got one, and I can kinda use it...

 

[compnovice]

I don't even know how it looks like...

 

[olds]

Yes.

 

[eplebnista]

No.

 

[pcnerd37]

What is a slide rule?

 

[BoomerD]

Wow...haven't even seen a slide rule in over 30 years...but yeah, I USED to be able to use one pretty well...(studied electronics communications...had the FCC 1st and 2nd class licenses to go along with that) then they invented pocket calculators (in the mid 70's) and they fell from favor with all but the most dedicated geeks...

 

[BrownTown]

heh, when my dad was in college he bought a 4 function calculator for 400$ (thats 400$ in the 70's). Its jsut kinda amazing how digital technology has advanced so much. I'm taking alot of signal processing classes right now, and thte professors always talk about how back in the day you have to make analog filters by hand with resistors and capacitors (not exactly an easy task for a 10th order butterworth filter), but now you just type the specs in MATLAB and itll make one in the blink of an eye.

 

[ScottMac]

They are still used by student / General Aviation pilots ... except they call it an "e5b"

No real trick, just set up the ratio and read the right index.

Good slide rules are larger and have more hash marks ... more marks = more accurate.

Good Luck

Scott

 

[bersl2]

About a year or two ago, ThinkGeek was selling some slide rules---mint condition too. I just had to get one.

I can do multiplication and division. Been too occupied to work with the other scales. It's another item on my ever-growing Big-Ass List O' Things To Be Done.

 

[OrganizedChaos]

never actually seen one up close but i can use a vernier and they look similar.

 

[tommywishbone]

Slide rule: The little kids go first, in case the fat kid gets stuck.

 

[BrownTown]

its still amazing to me that we built space ships based on calculations done by slide rules. Same goes for a million other things built back in the day. That must have really sucked ass having to do every calculation by hand for something with hundreds of thousands of parts.

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Old school geeks check in with the poll!

I own one, but I need to learn how to work it. I am hooked on my TI-83 Plus and TI-30X IIB.

I had a K&E for years. There were no calculators. Used it to figure yields and production rates.

 

[murban135]

Yes

 

[Dee67]

If by slide rule you mean 12 gauge shotgun, then, yes.




But seriously, the kid who sat next to me in grade school had one but I have no clue how it worked.