Sterling 544 Protractor and Drawing Instrument
date: label: date made
content: ca 1975
name: label: maker
content: Sterling Plastics
notes: label: Description
content: This clear plastic semicircular protractor is contained within an irregularly shaped piece of plastic that features a French curve at the top, two triangles (of 60° and 45°) on the sides, and a 5-1/2" scale along the bottom.
label: Description
content: The scale is divided to 16ths of an inch and is marked by single inches from 1" to 5". The protractor is divided to single degrees and marked by tens from 10° to 90° to 170° and from 170° to 90° to 10°. A semicircular slot separates the protractor from the French curve. Cut-out stencils for six circles range in diameter from 1/8" to 7/16". Also included are two slots for drawing angles of 30° and 45° and templates for an equilateral hexagon and two closed curves. On the curve the object is marked: SP [/] PROTRACTOR – FRENCH CURVE – TRIANGLES – RULER – CIRCLE GAUGES. Between the protractor and scale, the object is marked: MADE IN U.S.A.; 2; STERLING 544. The markings were stamped in black but are wearing off.
label: Description
content: Sterling Plastics was operated by George and Mary Staab in Mountainside, N. J., through the late 1960s. It was a division of Borden Chemical Company in the 1970s and 1980s, during which time this object was called the 7-IN-1 Protractor. For other products of Sterling Plastics, see slide rule 1988.0807.01 and adding machine MA.335327. James J. Williams gave this protractor to the Smithsonian.
label: Description
content: Reference: <i>Toxic Substances Control Act: Trademarks and Product Names Reported in Conjunction with the Chemical Substance Initial Inventory</i> (Washington, D.C.: United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1979), 90.
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: Protractor
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
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content: Science & Mathematics
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content: Protractors
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of James J. Williams
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1998.3104.01
label: nonaccession number
content: 1998.3104
label: catalog number
content: 1998.3104.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: protractor
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: .2 cm x 14.2 cm x 8.9 cm; 3/32 in x 5 19/32 in x 3 1/2 in