Logarithms are a common idea today, even though we don’t use them as often as we used to. After all, one of the major uses of logarithms is to simplify computations, and computers do that just fine ...

A regular slide rule takes advantage of the fact that you can multiply and divide by adding logarithms. Imagine having two rulers marked in inches or centimeters — it doesn’t matter (see the adjoining ...

It was the only technological tool widely and continuously used for over three centuries. For math and science geeks it was a badge of honor, nestled neatly into a plastic pocket protector along with ...

When you look at the Dow Jones Industrial Average or a bank statement or your receipt at the grocery local store, do you ever stop to think about how numbers are actually processed? (It’s OK – you won ...

THE author makes his title, “Quick and Easy Methods of Calculating”—at least, that is all that is in large print on the title-page; but the binder calls it, on the outside of the book, “The Slide-Rule ...

You may find this hard to believe, but there are people still alive today who once did their mathematical calculations by sliding sticks back and forth. No keypads, no batteries, no LEDs. Just sticks.

The protractor and the Bunsen burner. Playing the recorder in music class. Drawing arcs and circles with a compass in geometry. These tools of the education trade become part of our lives for a ...

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