Sterling Metric Converter Slide Rule
date: label: date made
content: 1972
name: label: maker
content: Sterling Plastics
notes: label: Description
content: This ten-inch, one-sided plastic rule has a yellow base, a white slide, and a transparent indicator. Identical logarithmic scales are on the top and the bottom of the base. Both sides of the slide are marked with pairs of metric and conventional units. On one side, the user can read off conversions between: inches and centimeters; meters and feet; meters and yards; miles and kilometers; square inches and square centimeters; square meters and square feet (times ten); square meters and square yards; and square miles and square kilometers. The other side of the slide permits readings of cubic inches and cubic centimeters (times ten); cubic meters and cubic feet (times ten); cubic meters and cubic yards; liters and quarts; ounces and grams (times ten); kilograms and pounds; metric tons and short tons; and gallons and liters.
label: Description
content: The top left of the base is marked with the letters SP in a circle and the word STERLING. The top middle of the base is marked: METRIC CONVERTER. The bottom left of the base is marked: MADE IN U.S.A. The rule was received with its original packaging, a clear plastic cover on a blue paper backing. The packaging is marked at the top: SP STERLING #651 (/) metric (/) converter. At the bottom, it is marked: BORDEN ® (/) © 1972 STERLING PLASTICS (/) DIVISION OF BORDEN CHEMICAL, BORDEN INC. (/) MOUNTAINSIDE, N.J. 07092 (/) MADE IN U.S.A.
label: Description
content: Sterling Plastics, a 20th-century manufacturer of drawing instruments for schools, was purchased by Borden Chemical in 1970. Since Sterling stopped making slide rules in 1972, this example of model number 651 was probably one of the last rules produced by the company. The five braces holding together the base of the instrument are also consistent with this date; early Sterling slide rules had only two braces. For instructions, see 1990.0689.03. For a Sterling slide rule with standard scales, see 1988.0807.01.
label: Description
content: Reference: Mike Konshak, "Sterling Plastics," http://sliderulemuseum.com/Sterling.htm.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New Jersey, Mountainside
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
label: Subject
content: Rule, Calculating
label: Subject
content: Conversion Chart
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
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content: Metric System
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content: Science & Mathematics
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content: Slide Rules
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content: Measuring & Mapping
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of George A. Norton III
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1990.0689.01
label: accession number
content: 1990.0689
label: catalog number
content: 1990.0689.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: slide rule
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (case material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 cm x 34.5 cm x 9 cm; 13/32 in x 13 19/32 in x 3 17/32 in