NTP2
Well-Known Member
This needs to stop or I’ll die from laughingWait a sec, are you saying that trig is a sin?
Cos this is giving me a headache.
I may have to lay down on the beach and get a tan.
This needs to stop or I’ll die from laughingWait a sec, are you saying that trig is a sin?
Cos this is giving me a headache.
I may have to lay down on the beach and get a tan.
+1This needs to stop or I’ll die from laughing
Hmmm...in heraldry, a device that's a pun is known as "canted" or a "cant."Actually it's a trigonometry pun.
I was thinking of secant as in the trig function.Hmmm...in heraldry, a device that's a pun is known as "canted" or a "cant."
Ah!I was thinking of secant as in the trig function.
There is secant evidence of deliberate intention on that point.Ah!
So, take it as a double-pun. You covered trig and heraldry in one word!
You forgot “rapid unplanned disassembly”.
"Anomaly"You forgot “rapid unplanned disassembly”.
Ps you dropped it.
It's been a long time since I read Kidder's book but I recall a story about one of the Data General prototypes that was having problems so one of the engineers pulled out one of the main circuit boards and shook it real hard.Marvin (Field Circus Engineer) told me about the time he had a call on a PDP-11 that was having intermittent failures. Marvin suspected a loose solder joint or wire wrap on one of the cards. So, he pulled out a hammer and began to tap each of the cards until the error occurred.
That used to work long ago on those Wire-Wrap boards. Whack them on the table and see if you could get the loose wire to fall out.It's been a long time since I read Kidder's book but I recall a story about one of the Data General prototypes that was having problems so one of the engineers pulled out one of the main circuit boards and shook it real hard.
How do you even USE a slide rule? From the name I assume it involves sliding??I dug out my various calculating devices for group photos.
First slide rules: The Pickett "Texas Speed Rule" (yellow) I used in high school and UIL contests. The other 2 Pickett slide rules (yellow) I used in college until I was able to buy a calculator. There are 4 K&E bamboo slide rules in there that I bought for my collection after I got out of college.View attachment 630176
I got this old TI from a friend about mid 1970s. This was one of the first consumer calculators.
View attachment 630177
Now for the actual HP machines- I dug out what I could find and spread them out. I bought the original HP35 used when I was in college from a test pilot who had just bought a new HP45. I used it through college and when I started my career. I also used the HP25 in graduate school. I could program it to do repetitive calculations and I even programmed it to do numerical integration and things like that. Both of those would probably work if I put in new battery packs. I have an HP41CV that I used in my work but couldn't find it in short notice. I did find the card reader and cards. Also on the bottom row is a 31E that I'm pretty sure doesn't work anymore. When my 41CV got old I was looking for replacements and found that it was hard to find new models with RPN. I bought up the nearest I could find- 32S and 48. I liked the 32S because it fit easily in a shirt pocket. I ended up with 2 of the 32S and 2 of the 32SII, then I discovered that the 48 could be bought cheaply and for use on my desk it worked well so I have 2 of them. Finally HP came out with the 35S and I bought one, then when it stopped working I bought another one. I'm working from home these days and I have a 32SII and a 35S on my desk to be used.View attachment 630180View attachment 630181View attachment 630182
How do you even USE a slide rule? From the name I assume it involves sliding??
It is a physical device for adding logarithms. You can multiply 2 numbers by adding their logarithms. The slide rule has numbers spaced out in logarithm fashion, i.e. the distance from the left end of the scale to the number would be relative to its logarithm. So pick the number on the scale, the distance from the left end would represent its logarithm, move the center slide to align and pick the next number on its scale, the distance from the end of that scale to that number represents its logarithm. With the scales positioned that way now the total distance is automatically added representing the logarithm of the total, and look at the number on the scale which converts the total logarithm back to a number.How do you even USE a slide rule? From the name I assume it involves sliding??
I don't know that much about the different brands. Post must have either been less prevalent or more expensive during the time that I was on a buying spree since I don't have any of those.I have a collection of probably 200 slide rules. Most (not all...) are K&E. BTW, most K&E rules are are mahogany. Well, not counting the later all plastic ones. Exceptions largely centered around the WWII time frame. Some really cheap ones used what looks like basswood. Post used bamboo mostly. They have a nice smooth action. It looks like there is a 4053 in the picture. Can't quite tell. I have a nearly complete collection of those from the early 1900s, every minor variation such as changes in the type font and variations in the formulas on the back. As well as the numerous different cursors. Probably 60-ish in total. I think the white celluloid on the varnished mahogany is striking.
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