Slide rules

(agk) Links – 2020 March

I got out grandpa’s slide rules to re-learn how to do calculations. The Dietzgen redirule No. 1771’s self-study book is falling apart. The Mannheim acu-math No. 400 doesn’t have a study book. The spouse and I turned to the web.

We found javascript slide rule emulators. You can learn to use a slide rule if you don’t have one! The javascript should work in any desktop browser since Internet Explorer 5.0 or FireFox 1.5 (but not on touchscreens). Use the emulators online, or download the javascript and html to run them locally (without internet connection).

Sites with emulators

Dr Robert P. Wolf’s sliderules.org is a collection of about 40 of the most prominent slide rule models, simulated (or emulated) in javascript.

As you progress through tests in the interactive training game, more complex slide rules become available. Lessons can alternatively be done on the raven.
The Pickett N600-ES Log Log Duplex slide rule was used by Buzz Alrin on 20 July 1969, when he did calculations for the moon landing.

Derek’s Virtual Slide Rule Gallery is a collection of seven Picketts, emulated in javascript.

He hosts a self-guided demo or tutorial for how to use a slide-rule.
The Pickett 160-ES Microline is a nice little slide rule to learn on. The Pickett N909-ES simplex trig rule includes handy metric conversions on the back, and an instruction sheet.
Bob Denny’s mirror of Derek’s site organizes some of the information better, including the How to use your Pickett slide rule instruction sheet and the Aristo Multilog Nr. 970 emulator.

Bob Roswell at The Computer Museum edited the Pickett N3 emulator so it should work well on a tablet.

Andrew Nikitin’s slide rule emulator collection includes almost 70 emulators. His operations page exhaustively covers what can be done on a slide rule.

Sites without emulators

Eric Marcotte’s sliderule.ca is a catalog of his personal collection (with no emulators).

His types of slide rules and their scales page is a great reference, as is his introduction page, which concisely discusses accuracy vs precision.
You can download his collection of manuals that came with slide rules.
His slide rule book reviews are also very good.

The Oughtred society offers two good pdf documents: