# You Know You Are Getting Old When .....



## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

You know you are getting old when ...... you still use a slide rule


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

whats a slide rule that you speak of


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

Don't know about one of those John, but I finally got around to reading the manual on how to work this one a couple of months ago


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

PhilM said:


> Don't know about one of those John, but I finally got around to reading the manual on how to work this one a couple of months ago


that is class


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

My dad showed me how to do basic maths stuff on one when I was about 15.....

What a waste of an evening that was


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## Toshi (Aug 31, 2007)

You know you're getting old when you've forgotten how to use a sliderule









Must be 25 years since I last used one (haven't missed it TBH)

Rich


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## Stanford (Feb 10, 2007)

jasonm said:


> My dad showed me how to do basic maths stuff on one when I was about 15.....
> 
> What a waste of an evening that was


Absolutely











Toshi said:


> You know you're getting old when you've forgotten how to use a sliderule
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Make it nearer 35 years for me









What makes me feel even older is that I not only can't remember how to do things the old way, I don't understand how they do maths these days - don't ask me to explain, all I know is it involves lines and curves


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## thunderbolt (May 19, 2007)

Haven't seen one of those since my school days over 25 years ago. Never used one though, the teacher used it to belt us across the ass when we were getting a bit rambunctious.


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

JoT said:


> You know you are getting old when ...... you still use a slide rule


I think I had that very one John...it was certainly a British Thornton and came in grey plastic sheath if I remember correctly.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

I`ve still got my Father`s one in the attic, I`ve got to put some boxes away tomorrow so I`ll think I`ll bring it down


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## blackandgolduk (Apr 25, 2005)

jasonm said:


> My dad showed me how to do basic maths stuff on one when I was about 15.....
> 
> What a waste of an evening that was


Ha ha ha! Me too! Never used it in anger, but I like the fact that I know how to use one... My Mum still sees it is a measure of intelligence, and I get to use the line 'what? You can't use a slide rule? That's comparable to not knowing basic Latin!'


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Silver Hawk said:


> JoT said:
> 
> 
> > You know you are getting old when ...... you still use a slide rule
> ...


That's right Paul .... plastic case







..... I have also got the box and papers









Mac a picture if you find it


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## quoll (Apr 20, 2006)

Two words. Log Tables. I still shudder thinking of them.


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## Alas (Jun 18, 2006)

Once I master my abacus I'll move on to that new fangled invention - the slide rule.









Alasdair


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

quoll said:


> Two words. Log Tables. I still shudder thinking of them.


John Napier had many a schoolboy's angst to answer for


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

JoT said:


> Silver Hawk said:
> 
> 
> > JoT said:
> ...


I will with another item he used in the 50s which you might find interesting


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

I have my dad's slide rule

A fantastic bit of kit

I love mine and I suspect John does too

You kids are just babies


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

My dad is ninety

I think he will surivive me

I feel really ill I could cry, and I can't sleep!!


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## rev (Oct 12, 2007)

Remember them with painful memories, getting hit across the back of my head while in school ooooohhhh flashbacks!


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## oldfogey (Nov 29, 2005)

http://www.mathsinstruments.me.uk/page15.html

Assorted version on that page. My last slide rule was (is) the Otis King cylindrical rule, which as the article states, was more accurate than a typical slide rule. I used it in my actuarial exams in the early seventies before they allowed calculators, when the Hewlett Packard "polish notation" scientific calculator became the standard office tool.


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

blackandgolduk said:


> jasonm said:
> 
> 
> > My dad showed me how to do basic maths stuff on one when I was about 15.....
> ...


I've still got (somewhere) circular ones "task specific" for radio calculations, and even more to dread than "log tables" - - the abso-bloody-luetly diabolical "Smiths Charts" Aaaargh!









But, Jason, I take it you mean:-

Notus conocus basicus Latinus!









Can remember "Amo, amas, amat" but that's it. 'sfunny how all of us suffered untold deprivations in our working lives for not passing Latin, Greek or Maths exams, isn't it?









I remember being told how important it would be to have a knowledge of equations, algebra and other exotic maths things in order to have a good working life, and the nearest I ever got to it was working out V=IxR!


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> JoT said:
> 
> 
> > Silver Hawk said:
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Bugger, my memory is going, I went looking couldn`t find it then remembered one of my brothers has it


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

They liked us to use "flight computers" (round slide rules







) when I was in the ATC gliding.....lucky I never crashed!

(I should point out I didn't fly and use the comp at the same time!







)

Ahhhhhhh Chipmunks and Shackletons.....................................ugh! Sliderules!!!!!!!


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## Mutley (Apr 17, 2007)

quoll said:


> Two words. Log Tables. I still shudder thinking of them.


What he said









I kept my log tables when I left school, I thought they may come in useful









Now I've got these










Although I'm far to young to know how they work


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## Alexus (Apr 9, 2003)

JoT said:


> You know you are getting old when ...... you still use a slide rule
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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