This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
Bissaker's slide rule, 1654. This is the earliest dated straight slide rule. The scales are mainly trigonometrical and
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Bissaker's slide rule, 1654. This is the earliest dated straight slide rule. The scales are mainly trigonometrical and
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Bissaker's slide rule, 1654. This is the earliest dated straight slide rule. The scales are mainly trigonometrical and
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Bissaker's slide rule, 1654. This is the earliest dated straight slide rule. The scales are mainly trigonometrical and
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Bissaker's slide rule, 1654. This is the earliest dated straight slide rule. The scales are mainly trigonometrical and
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Bissaker's slide rule, 1654. This is the earliest dated straight slide rule. The scales are mainly trigonometrical and
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Bissaker's slide rule, 1654. This is the earliest dated straight slide rule. The scales are mainly trigonometrical and
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Bissaker's slide rule, 1654. This is the earliest dated straight slide rule. The scales are mainly trigonometrical and
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Thacher's cylindrical slide rule, in fitted mahogany box (no lock), made by Keuffel and Esser, model no. 4012, serial
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Slide rule made by Robert Bissaker in 1654, Radcliffe (now Wapping), London. Signed 'Robert Bissaker 1654 For T W'. It is the earliest-known dated straight slide rule.
Bissaker made this slide rule in 1654 for someone with the initials T.W, but this person has not been indentified. The mathematician William Oughtred was the first to use the newly invented logarithmic scales to form a calculating instrument with scales that could move with respect to one another. This is the earliest known dated straight slide rule which uses scales bound together with metal bands. Other slide rules were circular. By the late-seventeenth century slide rules were established for use by excise officers and in carpentry. Bissaker worked in Radcliffe, an area in east London which is near what is now known as Wapping, specialising in wooden instruments and his customers were probably seafarers.
On display
If you are visiting to see this object, please contact us in advance to make sure that it will be on display.
Details
- Category:
- Mathematics
- Object Number:
- 1898-30
- Materials:
- box (wood) and brass (copper, zinc alloy)
- Measurements:
-
Closed: 25 mm x 670 mm x 25 mm, 0.305 kg
Open: 25 mm x 1170 mm x 25 mm, 0.305 kg
- type:
- slide rule and slide rule and
- credit:
- Wilkinson, J.
Cite this page
Rights
We encourage the use and reuse of our collection data.
Data in the title, made, maker and details fields are released under Creative Commons Zero
Descriptions and all other text content are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence
Download
Download catalogue entry as json
View 
manifest in IIIF viewer
Add to Animal Crossing Art Generator
Download manifest IIIF
Our records are constantly being enhanced and improved, but please note that we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information shown on this website.
