An eloquent presentation. I learned to use a slide rule in high school, as a lazy student, coasting through classes. I went to work in a race car factory, already with a good understanding of Aerodynamics in 1969. I built model airplanes from Balsawood. Later I repaired large airliners, heavy structures wing fittings, landing gears trunnions, pressure bulkheads. I found a lot of bad math. Often I rejected repairs from engineers "after running the numbers." Now retired. Still have a slide rule.
Good video. I was introduced to slide rules by my Dad many years ago. Decades later, I got really interested in them. It began with the same one that you printed out. And yes, it was like magic. Here I had a scientific calculator made of a single sheet of paper. From there I was hooked. In addition to the slide rules I inherited from my Dad, I've bought a few on eBay. I have also made modifications and additions to that paper slide rule, and then I made some of my own. So far they're just on paper and cardstock, and those work fine. Now I'm trying to bring all that into the world of laser engraving so I can make more solid state models.
Regarding 3:56, in using a slide rule for calculating numbers with many digits, the method is to convert them into their scientific notation. Then the answer can be focused on its significant figures while its decimal point is determined by its power of ten or its order of magnitude.
Well put. I used a slide rule in my electronics courses in college. I tended towards the circular ones because of their compactness. I have a small collection now, including the 5-inch straight one my dad kept in his shirt pocket at work.
I did recently. Then I ended with maybe 9 of them because someone was selling 5 pieces of which I wanted one or two. Not sure what's common in US, but i'd recommend Darmstadt type or later types with log log scale, Pythagorean scale, small angle sin/tan. Duplex with log log below one is useful. There are reciprocal and folded scales, but I guess these are for comfort only - when you need to multiply or divide many numbers at once by a constant without moving the slider.
Around 2:37, it's also worth noting that in some way it's about the labelling of scale marks and how giving marks a label, just like 'labelling' people, makes you think differently and have expectations of the capabilities of the marks. Labelling is powerful. A ruler with fresh labels can do powerful things, just like superheroes with their recognisable 'suits'. (even more fun is log tables, especially natural log table, and the use of the 'bar' notation for mixing positive and negative parts of the logarithm (e.g. 3.14E-09 -> ??) !
This is a prescient and needed video! Thank you for posting. I teach at a university and one class session in one course is devoted to analyzing the data from the Challenger (space shuttle) accident. I conclude with discussing why Bob Ebeling and Roger Boisjoly may have understood the calculus (lower case) of the problem better than others and were so adamant that NASA should not launch. They were trained as engineers during a time when slide rules were the instruments of calculations and really had a solid feel for the relationships between numbers and the impacts of those differences. Thus, they knew what perspective to use to evaluate decisions and applications. I’ve droned on too long. But, from a fellow slide rule aficionado, though a newbie, thank you for this.
I have 3 yellow Picket sliderules. All 3 put end to end would not be as long as that big one. I've used a slide rule, a lot. A slide rule teaches you that beyond 3 digits of accuracy you're just wasting your time.
I like the slide rule, but I get annoyed every time I have to do a multiplation where both numbers begin with 7,8, or 9. I wonder why they didn't replace the mostly useless CF and DF scales with a scale solely for those last digits.
The point made early on about learning some of "the history". of how certain things manifested, usually in response to a problem in the practical world. This is immensely beneficial to the student, and not only helps recall but will round out your intrinsic perspective on the subject matter plus jiving you that added depth to what can sometimes seem like very perfunctorily or formulaic procedures. Particularly when learning a whole new subject for the very first time (in school / university) and just by getting a deep understanding of the Latin and Greek roots of technical terms will give you such a head start in total comprehension. I hated teachers who'd just systematically and banally plod through the course material or text in such a boring and "learn for the exams not for fun" way. Rote learn this, rote learn that. Only Asians seem to tolerate absorbing information in this manner.
The slide rule DOES lack precision, although people might be implying it's infinite "analogue" resolution. We are limited by our feeble eye sight to get more than two decimal places of precision (if you're lucky). What the slide rule really is, is an "unreasonably good equivalent substitution for the monster of 64bit floating point arithmetic. Like 22/7 is "unreasonably good" as a substitute for Pi.
Hey epmtunes I found this crazy contraption that could possibly replace the slide rule in the future. It's called the Ti-84 CE Plus Calculator and can do anything the slide rule can do but more.
You missed the entire point of the video. A slide rule is a didactic tool which makes the relationships of various operations tangible and visible. Easy for a student to grasp and even a valuable intuition to build for people of all skill levels. Your TI-84 is not that and cannot be that.
An eloquent presentation. I learned to use a slide rule in high school, as a lazy student, coasting through classes. I went to work in a race car factory, already with a good understanding of Aerodynamics in 1969. I built model airplanes from Balsawood. Later I repaired large airliners, heavy structures wing fittings, landing gears trunnions, pressure bulkheads. I found a lot of bad math. Often I rejected repairs from engineers "after running the numbers." Now retired. Still have a slide rule.
You summed up the slide rule and its place in the mathematical universe very elegantly.
Well done!
Excellent intro to the slide rule, along with a beautiful top of the Hemmi rule.
Good video. I was introduced to slide rules by my Dad many years ago. Decades later, I got really interested in them. It began with the same one that you printed out. And yes, it was like magic. Here I had a scientific calculator made of a single sheet of paper. From there I was hooked. In addition to the slide rules I inherited from my Dad, I've bought a few on eBay.
I have also made modifications and additions to that paper slide rule, and then I made some of my own. So far they're just on paper and cardstock, and those work fine.
Now I'm trying to bring all that into the world of laser engraving so I can make more solid state models.
Regarding 3:56, in using a slide rule for calculating numbers with many digits, the method is to convert them into their scientific notation. Then the answer can be focused on its significant figures while its decimal point is determined by its power of ten or its order of magnitude.
Well put. I used a slide rule in my electronics courses in college. I tended towards the circular ones because of their compactness. I have a small collection now, including the 5-inch straight one my dad kept in his shirt pocket at work.
For a while now, I've been considering buying a slide rule mostly for the novelty. This clinches it.
I did recently. Then I ended with maybe 9 of them because someone was selling 5 pieces of which I wanted one or two. Not sure what's common in US, but i'd recommend Darmstadt type or later types with log log scale, Pythagorean scale, small angle sin/tan. Duplex with log log below one is useful. There are reciprocal and folded scales, but I guess these are for comfort only - when you need to multiply or divide many numbers at once by a constant without moving the slider.
Around 2:37, it's also worth noting that in some way it's about the labelling of scale marks and how giving marks a label, just like 'labelling' people, makes you think differently and have expectations of the capabilities of the marks.
Labelling is powerful. A ruler with fresh labels can do powerful things, just like superheroes with their recognisable 'suits'.
(even more fun is log tables, especially natural log table, and the use of the 'bar' notation for mixing positive and negative parts of the logarithm (e.g. 3.14E-09 -> ??) !
Thank you for this video! A few years ago, I “rescued” a beautiful (!) Pickett & Eckel slide ruler with its case.
I am using my Pickett N-500-T slide rule to calculate the ratio of UA-cam promotion between impressions and views.
well said
This is a prescient and needed video! Thank you for posting.
I teach at a university and one class session in one course is devoted to analyzing the data from the Challenger (space shuttle) accident. I conclude with discussing why Bob Ebeling and Roger Boisjoly may have understood the calculus (lower case) of the problem better than others and were so adamant that NASA should not launch. They were trained as engineers during a time when slide rules were the instruments of calculations and really had a solid feel for the relationships between numbers and the impacts of those differences. Thus, they knew what perspective to use to evaluate decisions and applications.
I’ve droned on too long. But, from a fellow slide rule aficionado, though a newbie, thank you for this.
Thanks
Very interesting ....
I took an Mci course on the slide rule while I was in the corps
I have 3 yellow Picket sliderules. All 3 put end to end would not be as long as that big one.
I've used a slide rule, a lot. A slide rule teaches you that beyond 3 digits of accuracy you're just wasting your time.
Great video! Thank you for this!
I have my Dad's Keuffel & Esser slide rule and the manual.
Wow this video is cool it helped me solve Minecraft end portal triangulation!
The slide rule ABSOUUTELY does not lack precision. The only imprecision comes from user error.
Ok so how do you get lots of significant figures? You can't cos it's not even accurate
One could argue.
@@marioluigi9599There is a difference between mathematical precision and accuracy. A slide rule is accurate, but not too precise.
@@MarvinClarence fascinating
you make math fun
can i be your tutor
the slide rule
I like the slide rule, but I get annoyed every time I have to do a multiplation where both numbers begin with 7,8, or 9.
I wonder why they didn't replace the mostly useless CF and DF scales with a scale solely for those last digits.
The point made early on about learning some of "the history". of how certain things manifested, usually in response to a problem in the practical world. This is immensely beneficial to the student, and not only helps recall but will round out your intrinsic perspective on the subject matter plus jiving you that added depth to what can sometimes seem like very perfunctorily or formulaic procedures.
Particularly when learning a whole new subject for the very first time (in school / university) and just by getting a deep understanding of the Latin and Greek roots of technical terms will give you such a head start in total comprehension.
I hated teachers who'd just systematically and banally plod through the course material or text in such a boring and "learn for the exams not for fun" way. Rote learn this, rote learn that. Only Asians seem to tolerate absorbing information in this manner.
you cannot watch UA-cam on this, doesn't looks like.
Not epitome
The slide rule DOES lack precision, although people might be implying it's infinite "analogue" resolution. We are limited by our feeble eye sight to get more than two decimal places of precision (if you're lucky).
What the slide rule really is, is an "unreasonably good equivalent substitution for the monster of 64bit floating point arithmetic. Like 22/7 is "unreasonably good" as a substitute for Pi.
Hey epmtunes I found this crazy contraption that could possibly replace the slide rule in the future. It's called the Ti-84 CE Plus Calculator and can do anything the slide rule can do but more.
You missed the entire point of the video. A slide rule is a didactic tool which makes the relationships of various operations tangible and visible. Easy for a student to grasp and even a valuable intuition to build for people of all skill levels. Your TI-84 is not that and cannot be that.
Ｐｒⓞм𝕠𝕤𝐌
S lide ru le
Slide ruler