Keuffel & Esser Beginners' slide rule
Date: circa 1936
Inventory Number: 1997-1-1626
Classification: Slide Rule
Dimensions:0.9 × 27 × 2.9 cm (3/8 × 10 5/8 × 1 1/8 in.)
DescriptionWooden rule with three slides. The top and bottom slides are fixed; the center slide is printed on both sides and moves to left and right. A thin piece of clear glass (?) sits between the slides and the wooden base. This slide rule may have originally had a glass or Xylonite runner.
The fixed portion of the slide rule is printed with two scales. Along the bottom edge of the top slide is an "A" scale consisting of two logarithmic scales (values ranging from 1 to 10) placed side-by-side. Along the top edge of the third slide is a logarithmic "D" scale carrying values from 1 to 10.
The face of the moveable slide is printed with two scales. The "B" scale along its top edge is identical to the "A" scale on the fixed portion of the rule. The "C" scale along its bottom edge is identical to the "D" scale on the fixed portion of the rule.
The back of the moveable slide is likewise printed with two scales. The "S" scale along its top edge has values ranging from 35' to 75°. The "T" scale along its bottom edge carries values from 6 to 45.
The back of the rule is printed with a table of unit conversions. A white label affixed near its left end indicates the slide rule's provenance.
Signedface, bottom slide, bottom center: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO., NEW YORK.
Inscribedface, second slide, left: 4058
back, on label: from Prof. / Gordon Fair / Pierce Hall
back, etched near bottom right: HARVARD
FunctionFor solving mathematics problems, including multiplication, division, proportions, and trigonometrical calculations.
According to the 1936 catalog entry, "The BEGINNERS' Slide Rules are intended only for the use of beginners to enable them to become familiar with the slide rule without incurring the expense of obtaining the regular rule intended for professional use."
For details on how to use the slide rule to solve a particular problem, see William Cox's manual, available for download here.
Primary Sources"Beginners' Slide Rules." Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co. 38 (1936): 313.
Cox, William. "The Mannheim Slide Rule." New York: Keuffel & Esser, 1917. Several different additions are available for download here.
ProvenanceFrom Prof. Gordon Fair's office in Pierce Hall (Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University) 5/5/70.