Slide rule

Use this image

Can I reuse this image without permission? Yes

Object images on the Ingenium Collection’s portal have the following Creative Commons license:

Copyright Ingenium / CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

ATTRIBUTE THIS IMAGE

Ingenium, 2006.0043.001
Permalink:

Ingenium is releasing this image under the Creative Commons licensing framework, and encourages downloading and reuse for non-commercial purposes. Please acknowledge Ingenium and cite the artifact number.

DOWNLOAD IMAGE

PURCHASE THIS IMAGE

This image is free for non-commercial use.

For commercial use, please consult our Reproduction Fees and contact us to purchase the image.

OBJECT TYPE
wind/pilot balloon/theodolite
DATE
1941
ARTIFACT NUMBER
2006.0043.001
MANUFACTURER
THORNTON, A.G. LTD.
MODEL
Mk.II
LOCATION
Manchester, England

More Information


General Information

Serial #
M1515/41
Part Number
1
Total Parts
2
AKA
N/A
Patents
N/A
General Description
wood core with celluloid vernier/ brass framed cursors with glass substrate for the graticules/ brass knobs

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length
62.8 cm
Width
5.8 cm
Height
N/A
Thickness
2.5 cm
Weight
N/A
Diameter
N/A
Volume
N/A

Lexicon

Group
Mathematics
Category
Calculating devices
Sub-Category
N/A

Manufacturer

AKA
THORNTON
Country
England
State/Province
Unknown
City
Manchester

Context

Country
United Kingdom
State/Province
Unknown
Period
early 1940's +
Canada
A British made instrument possibly used by the Meteorological Service of Canada, though the specific use there is not known. With the 1941 date, it was likely used at an airport in support of military operations or for related research. Part of a large collection of meteorological instruments acquired from the MSC (previously Atmospheric Environment Service) by the CSTM since 1967. MSC is the government agency responsible for collecting and disseminating meteorological data and forecasts in Canada. It was founded in 1871 in Toronto where it is still headquartered. The MSC was originally on the University of Toronto downtown campus but moved to Downsview in 1971 on land owned by UofT. The headquarters houses laboratories, research facilities and calibration and instrument maintenance facilities.
Function
An instrument used to carry out the computations based on observations (altitude, azimuth and distance) of pilot balloons with theodolites in order to measure the speed and direction of wind in the upper atmosphere.
Technical
An example of a specialized function slide rule used to make meteorological calculations. It is a typical looking slide rule but with scales only on one side and with scales suited to determining the height of a pilot balloon for meteorological measurements - specifically wind speed and direction. Scales include since, cosine, secant and tangent. 3 scales have unusual small curved scales -- 2 marked 90, 5, 10 and 15 but reading to approx.. 20. The third is not marked. The slider is marked "Graticule X" and there are 4 cursors with graticules. It has a Meteorological Office mark (O stamped over M). The serial number 1515/41 is consistent with UK's Air Ministry codes used on air sextants made during WW II. This particular slide rule was designed by the Meteorological Office of the Air Ministry (UK) in 1926/27. The SML caption states: Pilot balloons were used as tracers for wind in the upper air, and to carry lightweight meteorological instruments. They would be monitored by meteorologists on the ground, either visually using adapted theodolites, or by radar. The slide rule was specially devised to help with the subsequent calculations from the actual readings and many forms were developed. This is the United Kingdom Meteorological Office pattern, Mark Two. It was devised by F J W Whipple, then superintendent of the Kew Observatory, and made by Hicks. Slide rules have been used in various from since the early 17th c soon after John Napier invented logarithmetic tables. Wherever calculations were required that involved logs or trigonometric functions, slide rules provided an efficient way to do the computations. Mechanical and electromechanical calculators supplemented slide rules beginning in the 18th c but their expense limited the impact. More models, particularly de Thomas' Arithometer and Curta calculators (ca. 1948) further impacted the scientific use of slide rules but they were not made obsolete until the HP-35 electronic calculator appeared in 1972.
Area Notes
Unknown

Details

Markings
Black lettering on rule reads 'PILOT BALLOON SLIDE RULE MO [logo] 1515/41' MARK II A.G. THORNTON LTD.'/ black scale markings and lettering reading 'COSINE SCALES/ SINE SCALES', 'ELEVATION', 'SECANT SCALE', 'TANGENT SCALE' and 'GRATICULE X'
Missing
appears complete
Finish
brown stained rule/ white scales/ gold coloured brass/ colourless transparent parts
Decoration
N/A

CITE THIS OBJECT

If you choose to share our information about this collection object, please cite:

THORNTON, A.G. LTD., Slide rule, 1941, Artifact no. 2006.0043, Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation, http://collection.ingeniumcanada.org/en/id/2006.0043.001/

FEEDBACK

Submit a question or comment about this artifact.

More Like This


...
Slide rule

2006.0042.001

Object

...
Theodolite

1987.0809.001

Object

...
Theodolite

1987.0810.001

Object

...
Theodolite

1987.0804.001

Object

...
Theodolite

1987.0806.001

Object

...
Slide rule

1995.0361.001

Object

...
Slide rule

1995.0362.001

Object

...
Box, pilot ba…

1987.0882.001

Object

...
Theodolite

1987.0811.001

Object

...
Theodolite

1987.0812.001

Object

...
Theodolite

1968.0768.001

Object

...
Slide rule

1994.0189.001

Object

...
Case, instrum…

2006.0043.002

Object

...
Slide rule

1994.0190.001

Object

...
Radius arm, p…

1987.0886.001

Object

...
Triangle, pil…

1987.0887.001

Object

...
Plotting mach…

1987.0884.001

Object

...
Plotting mach…

1987.0884.002

Object

...
Radiosonde

2004.0361.001

Object

...
Slide, meteor…

2009.0131.001

Object

...
Slide rule

1987.2102.001

Object

...
Balloon

2004.0355.001

Object

...
Slide rule

1979.0480.001

Object

...
Radius arm, p…

1987.0885.001

Object

...
Radius arm, p…

1987.0885.002

Object

...
Plate, inform…

2009.0132.001

Object

...
Slide rule

1979.0482.001

Object

...
Calculator, h…

1987.0827.004

Object

...
Slide rule

1979.0481.001

Object

...
Slide rule

1981.0182.001

Object

...
Theodolite st…

1987.0814.001

Object

...
Meteorologica…

1978.1098.001

Object

...
Balloon

1987.0835.001

Object

...
Theodolite st…

1987.0813.001

Object

...
Slide rule

1981.0029.001

Object

...
Slide rule

2003.0687.001

Object

...
Radiosonde

2005.0043.001

Object

...
Graduate

2004.0329.001

Object

...
Scale, barome…

2004.0364.001

Object

...
Theodolite

1991.0126.001

Object

...
Radiosonde

2004.0360.001

Object

...
Radiosonde

2004.0360.003

Object

...
Parachute

2004.0356.001

Object

...
Balance, ball…

1987.0833.001

Object

...
Map

2009.0134.001

Object

...
Map

2009.0134.002

Object

...
Map

2009.0134.003

Object

...
Map

2009.0134.004

Object

...
Anemometer

2004.0350.001

Object

...
Balloon

1987.0834.001

Object

...
Slide rule

1977.0347.001

Object

...
Radiosonde

2005.0043.005

Object

...
Scale, wind

2009.0129.001

Object

...
Slide rule

2003.0686.001

Object

...
Calculator, a…

1987.0827.005

Object

...
Manometer

2004.0363.001

Object

...
Graph plate, …

1987.0883.001

Object

...
Radiosonde

2009.0127.001

Object

...
Balloon

1991.0107.001

Object

...
Calculator, a…

2002.0580.001

Object

...
Slide rule

2003.0688.001

Object

...
Slide rule

2003.0675.001

Object

...
Radiosonde

2005.0042.003

Object

...
Radiosonde

2005.0042.004

Object

...
Hub, anemomet…

2009.0128.001

Object

...
Slide rule

1995.0360.001

Object

...
Slide rule

1980.0344.001

Object

...
Thermometer

2004.0324.001

Object

...
Slide rule

1980.0588.001

Object

...
Slide rule

1969.0615.001

Object

...
Clinometer

1987.0740.001

Object

...
Clinometer

1987.0738.001

Object

...
Balloon filler

1987.0836.001

Object

...
Calculator

1981.0688.001

Object

...
Balloon

1994.0142.001

Object

...
Balloon

1974.0090.001

Object

No image available.
Thermometer

2004.0372.012

Object

...
Slide rule

1994.0191.001

Object

...
Calculator, a…

2002.0581.001

Object

...
Calculator, a…

2002.0582.001

Object

...
Scale, sunshi…

2009.0130.001

Object

...
Battery

2009.0127.002

Object

...
Anemometer

2004.0353.001

Object

...
Calculator, t…

1987.0827.003

Object

...
Thermometer

2004.0326.009

Object

...
Thermometer

2004.0326.010

Object

...
Thermometer

2004.0326.011

Object

...
Thermometer

2004.0326.002

Object

...
Thermometer

2004.0326.003

Object

...
Thermometer

2004.0326.004

Object

...
Thermometer

2004.0326.005

Object

...
Thermometer

2004.0326.001

Object

...
Thermometer

2004.0326.006

Object

...
Thermometer

2004.0326.007

Object

...
Thermometer

2004.0326.008

Object

...
Thermometer

2004.0326.012

Object

...
Slide rule

2002.0400.015

Object

...
Thermometer

2004.0321.001

Object

...
Gauge, snow

2004.0312.001

Object

...
Radiosonde

2005.0042.001

Object