17 Matching Annotations
  1. Aug 2025
  2. Jan 2024
    1. To find the product of two numbers, disregard the decimalpoints, opposite either of the numbers on the D scale set the index ofthe C scale, push the hairline of the indicator to the second numberon the C scale, and read the answer under the hairline of the D scale.The decimal point is placed in accordance with the result of a roughcalculation.
    2. Accuracy of the slide rule. From thediscussion of § 2 it appears that we read fourfigures of a result on one part of the scaleand three figures on the remaining part.Assuming that the error of a reading is onetenth of the smallest interval following theleft-hand index of D, we conclude that theerror is roughly 1 in 1000 or one tenth of oneper cent. The effect of the assumed errorin judging a distance is inversely propor-tional to the length of the rule. Hencewe associate with a 10-inch slide rule anerror of one tenth of one per cent, with a20-inch slide rule an error of one twentiethof one per cent or 1 part in 2000, and withthe Thacher Cylindrical slide rule an errorof a hundredth of one per cent or one part.in 10,000. The accuracy obtainable withthe 10-inch slide rule is sufficient for manypractical purposes; in any ease the sliderule result serves as a check.

      The accuracy of most 10 inch slide rules is approximately 1 in 1000 or one tenth of one percent.

      Because the error in approximating distance is inversely proportion to the length of a slide rule, longer slide rules will have proportionally smaller errors, so while a 10 inch slide rule has an error of 1 in 1000, a 20 inch will have an error of 1 in 2000 and larger rules can be accurate to within 1 in 10,000 or better.

  3. Aug 2023
  4. Mar 2022