Keuffel & Esser 4051 Simplex Slide Rule
date: label: date made
content: 1925-1938
name: label: maker
content: Keuffel & Esser Company
notes: label: Description
content: This 20-inch one-sided slide rule is made of wood with white celluloid scales and a frameless glass indicator with plastic supports. The base has A and D scales, and there are B and C scales on one side of the slide with S, L, and T scales on the other side. The A and B scales are divided logarithmically from 1 to 10 twice, the C and D scales from 1 to 10 once. The S scale gives angles in degrees and minutes, running from 0 to 90 degrees. The sine of an angle on the S scale is read off the A scale. The T scale gives angles running from 0 to 45 degrees. The tangent of these angles is read off the D scale, assuming that the endpoints of the scales are aligned. The L scale runs from 0 to 1, in such a way that if a number is read off the D scale, the mantissa of the logarithm to the base 10 of that number is indicated on the L scale, assuming that the endpoints of the scales are aligned.
label: Description
content: A scale of 50 centimeters divided to millimeters is on the front edge, and a scale of 20 inches divided to 1/16-inch is on the other, beveled edge. A table of equivalents and slide rule settings is glued to the back of the rule. The table is marked: EQUIVALENTS AND ABBREVIATIONS FROM U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS CIRCULAR NO. 47; KEUFFEL & ESSER CO., NEW YORK. On the back of the rule is written in marker: E. + M. LAB (1). The back is also marked: A.C.P.L. 1132 (/) 23-4-B.
label: Description
content: The top of the base is marked in red: PAT. JUNE 5, 1900; KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; MADE IN U.S.A. The slide is marked: AMHERST COLLEGE ACPL 1132. The right end of the slide is marked in red: < 4051 >. The back of the slide and the left end of the centimeter scale are marked with a serial number: 127849. The supports for the indicator are marked: PATENT 2,086,502 and KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.
label: Description
content: Keuffel & Esser first advertised the model 4051 Mannheim slide rule in 1900 and stopped selling it between 1936 and 1939. The serial number suggests a date around 1925, but the patent date on the indicator suggests that part was made in 1938. The indicator may thus be a replacement part. The rule was used in the electricity & magnetism laboratory of the Amherst College physics department.
label: Description
content: References: Adolf W. Keuffel, "Runner for Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,086,502 issued July 6, 1937); <i>Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co.</i>, 30th ed. (New York, 1900–1901), 294; <i>Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co.</i>, 38th ed. (New York, 1936), 311; Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4041 Family," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4041family.htm; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," 27 December 2000, http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
topic: label: Subject
content: Rule, Calculating
label: Subject
content: Mathematics
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
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content: Science & Mathematics
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content: Slide Rules
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Amherst College Physics Laboratory
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1999.0254.01
label: catalog number
content: 1999.0254.01
label: maker number
content: 127849
label: accession number
content: 1999.0254
objectType: label: Object Name
content: calculating rule
label: Object Name
content: slide rule
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: celluloid (laminate material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (cursor material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1.4 cm x 52 cm x 4 cm; 9/16 in x 20 15/32 in x 1 9/16 in