The Abacus:

The slide rule:

Credit is given to two separate individuals for the invention of the

slide rule: Edmund Gunther (1581-1626) and William Oughtred

(1574-1660), both English ministers who enjoyed the study of

mathematics.

Gunter was a professor of astronomy at Gresham College in

London and devised "Gunter's Line" which is a logarithmic line of

numbers.

Oughtred designed a pair of sliding scales to be used in

conjunction with one another. He also invented a circular slide rule

that had two radial pointers pivoted at the center of the rule in which

logarithmic distances could be added and subtracted.

All of these cartoons are from artist and illustrator: Steve Smith and are found in a great book on the Texas Instruments calculators:

The Calculator Maths series by Alan Graham and Barrie Galpin







							COMPUTER ALGEBRA SYSTEMS - TECHNOLOGY IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION