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Faber slide rule

  • Images (3)

Faber slide rule

Date: late 19th-early 20th Century
Inventory Number: 2004-1-0342
Classification: Slide Rule
Subject:
engineering, calculating instrument,
Maker: A. W. Faber (1761-present)
Cultural Region:
Germany,
Place of Origin:
Stein,
Dimensions:
1.4 × 29.5 × 4.2 cm (9/16 × 11 5/8 × 1 5/8 in.)
Material:
wood, glass, metal, celluloid,
DescriptionWooden rule with three slides, faced with white celluloid. The top and bottom slides are fixed; the center slide moves to left and right. A glass runner with a metal frame and a vertical indicating line also moves to left and right.

The top, fixed slide is printed with two unlabeled scales. Near the top of the slide is a scale composed of three logarithmic scales (values 1 to 10) placed side by side. Along the bottom edge of the slide is a logarithmic scale carrying values from 1 to 100. This scale extends backwards to 8 on the left, and forward to 120 on the right. A point on the scale near 32 is labeled "M".

The bottom, fixed slide is also printed with two unlabeled scales. Printed along the top edge of the slide is a logarithmic scale with values ranging from 1 to 10. This scale extends backwards to 9 on the left, and forward to 1 on the right. Near the bottom edge of the same slide is a scale carrying values 0 to 10. "Quot. +1" is printed at the left end of the slide, just under the top scale; "Prod. -1" is printed at the right end of the slide, just under the top scale.

The face of the center, moveable slide is printed with three scales. Along its top edge is an unlabeled scale identical to the scale along the bottom edge of the top slide. Printed along its bottom edge is a "C" scale identical to the scale along the top edge of the bottom slide, with the addition of the label "0" near the value 1.13. Printed in red along the center of the face of the moveable slide is an inverted logarithmic scale, with values descending from 10 to 1. This scale extends backwards to 1.1 on the left, and forward to 9 on the right.

The back of the center, moveable slide is also printed with three scales. The scale along the top edge of the slide, "S", has values ranging from 5.5 to 90. The center scale, "S&T", has values ranging from 35' to 5^30(°). Printed along the bottom edge of the slide is a "T" scale, with values ranging from 5.5 to 45.

A scale in centimeters, graduated into tenths, is printed along the both the top and bottom edges of the rule. The top scale has white space to either side of the beginning and ending values (0 and 27, respectively); the bottom scale begins and ends at the edges of the rule.

Printed on a piece of paper affixed to the back of the rule are conversion and decimal equivalent tables, in German. The table also contains several constants and properties of materials such as specific weight, elasticity and resistance.

The back of the rule has a crack along its length. The metal nails at each end of each piece of celluloid are heavily rusted.
Signedunderneath moveable slide: A.W. FABER SYSTEM RIETZ / D.R. PATENT. No 206428
FunctionFor solving mathematics problems, including multiplication, division, squares, square roots, cubes, cube roots, and trigonometric problems.
ProvenancePrivate Donor, Troy, New York.

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