I was down in the basement going through some boxes of junk and came
across my K&E sliderule that I used back in high school while taking a
drafting course. I was never very proficient with it, but I
remembered how to do basic functions like multiplying a couple of
numbers.

So, my 15 year old grandson showed up at the house. I handed him the
slide rule and asked him if he knew what it was.

Not a clue. He played with it a little then handed it back asking
what it was.

I explained it was a slide rule and, if you knew how to use it, it
could solve very complex math problems.

He said, "Cool, but I can do all that on my cell phone".

On Thursday, 12 September 2013 20:12:45 UTC-3, Mr. Luddite wrote:
I was down in the basement going through some boxes of junk and came

across my K&E sliderule that I used back in high school while taking a

drafting course. I was never very proficient with it, but I

remembered how to do basic functions like multiplying a couple of

numbers.



So, my 15 year old grandson showed up at the house. I handed him the

slide rule and asked him if he knew what it was.



Not a clue. He played with it a little then handed it back asking

what it was.



I explained it was a slide rule and, if you knew how to use it, it

could solve very complex math problems.



He said, "Cool, but I can do all that on my cell phone".


I have mine stashed away up in an old trunk, up in the attic.
Wish I still had the instructions that came with it. I forget how to do anything other than the simplest calculations.

On Thu, 12 Sep 2013 17:13:58 -0700 (PDT), True North
wrote:

I have mine stashed away up in an old trunk, up in the attic.
Wish I still had the instructions that came with it. I forget how to do anything other than the simplest calculations.

===


The most important thing to learn with a slide rule is how to keep
track of the decimal point, and that doesn't involve the slide rule at
all.

In article , "Mr.
Luddite" says...

I was down in the basement going through some boxes of junk and came
across my K&E sliderule that I used back in high school while taking a
drafting course. I was never very proficient with it, but I
remembered how to do basic functions like multiplying a couple of
numbers.

So, my 15 year old grandson showed up at the house. I handed him the
slide rule and asked him if he knew what it was.

Not a clue. He played with it a little then handed it back asking
what it was.

I explained it was a slide rule and, if you knew how to use it, it
could solve very complex math problems.

He said, "Cool, but I can do all that on my cell phone".

My brother used a slide rule in college, and I did some in high school.
He bought a T.I. calculator, that could add, subtract, multiply, divide
AND do square roots! We were amazed with it. My uncle just couldn't
believe it!!

On Fri, 13 Sep 2013 12:38:12 -0400, wrote:

There is some discussion that math skills like long division and doing
square roots may go the way of cursive writing.

===

The important thing is to understand the concepts not the actual
mechanics since literally no one does long division or square roots by
hand anymore.

On 9/13/13 5:22 PM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 13 Sep 2013 12:38:12 -0400, wrote:

There is some discussion that math skills like long division and doing
square roots may go the way of cursive writing.

===

The important thing is to understand the concepts not the actual
mechanics since literally no one does long division or square roots by
hand anymore.


Well, maybe not square roots, but when I am cutting down a piece of
lumber into thirds or quarters, and it's an unknown length, I measure it
with a steel tape and then do "long division" to get and mark the lengths.

There are still reasons to be able to do simply math in your hand or by
hand.

F.O.A.D. wrote:
On 9/13/13 5:22 PM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 13 Sep 2013 12:38:12 -0400, wrote:

There is some discussion that math skills like long division and doing
square roots may go the way of cursive writing.

===

The important thing is to understand the concepts not the actual
mechanics since literally no one does long division or square roots by
hand anymore.


Well, maybe not square roots, but when I am cutting down a piece of
lumber into thirds or quarters, and it's an unknown length, I measure
it with a steel tape and then do "long division" to get and mark the
lengths.

There are still reasons to be able to do simply math in your hand or
by hand.
Simply math in your hand, eh?

On Fri, 13 Sep 2013 17:57:09 -0400, "F.O.A.D." wrote:

There are still reasons to be able to do simply math in your hand or by
hand.

===

Your head seems to be fixated on your hand. Love at first sight?

On 9/13/13 10:03 PM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 13 Sep 2013 17:57:09 -0400, "F.O.A.D." wrote:

There are still reasons to be able to do simply math in your hand or by
hand.

===

Your head seems to be fixated on your hand. Love at first sight?


This newsgroup needed a third Scotty. Welcome, ScottyWayne.

In article , says...

On Thu, 12 Sep 2013 19:12:45 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" nowayalso.jose.com
wrote:

I was down in the basement going through some boxes of junk and came
across my K&E sliderule that I used back in high school while taking a
drafting course. I was never very proficient with it, but I
remembered how to do basic functions like multiplying a couple of
numbers.

So, my 15 year old grandson showed up at the house. I handed him the
slide rule and asked him if he knew what it was.

Not a clue. He played with it a little then handed it back asking
what it was.

I explained it was a slide rule and, if you knew how to use it, it
could solve very complex math problems.

He said, "Cool, but I can do all that on my cell phone".


There is some discussion that math skills like long division and doing
square roots may go the way of cursive writing.

My grand daughter, in an advanced school in Palm Beach County, did not
get long division yet ... in the 4th grade.

My daughters AP Calculas, high school, wasn't allowed to use calculators for the first
semester. Calculators should be illegal in schools.