The Slide Rule

[asamblejeblet]

hey i ' l l give you advice becose i realy want to help you... your telling one thing but your body tells difrent if you want to play smal sicens projekt be my gest and be smal maths boy, but if you want attract young seeds to learn you need to learn nlp and pick up... because it doesn't matter what you say its matter how you say and if you find a write way you will secede...if you intrested write my P.S sorry for grama for now my eg grama is realy bad

[MrSuednym]

My friend broke my slide rule today :( So I'm going to buy the one from Think Geek.

[TheThankforsharing]

love you !

[heyandy889]

Wow. Truly an artifact of human ingenuity. Man, they used to use these to calculate? Of course, think about what people will say in 20 years about YouTube. Man, they watched WHAT on WHAT?

[zachdavis790]

Problem, math teachers?

[iOlycommenT]

nice accent!

[leonardob80]

nasa used this rule to send man to the moon.... respect the rule!!!

[captainawsomeful]

like if thinkgeek brought you here

[orangetj1]

@singingbanana thanks I didnt know it was on itunes got one of them for christmas cant wait to show up to math with it :P il be the only one who has and (hopefully by then) knows how a slide ruler

[orangetj1]

you think you can upload a downloadable version of your video my internet is on the bum and you tube doesnt want to coperate neither

[singingbanana]

@orangetj1 This channel is also on iTunes for download. It has a different name on iTunes, search for "Quite Easily Done".

[KittenPryde23]

Aren't you the guy from numberphile?

[singingbanana]

@KittenPryde23 I am.

[grethomory]

LOLOLOL, I remember these. My teacher had one, but of course we used our calculators, lol.

[clehman67]

Slide rules are amazing, but you are really only able to calculate up to an accuracy of 3 to 4 significant digits. In response to remarks around Apollo 13, the slide rule was used for quick calculations and a fair amount of SWAG was used for larger numbers. Anything that required more than a couple decimal places was performed by a computer terminal.

Great video btw!!

[yoyochann]

Never would have thought I'd be intrigued and entertained by a video of a slide rule. This guy is so enthusiastic lol.

[lolipopme101]

I love singingbanana's vid

it just makes math more easier and more enjoyable

:D

[Timsquonk]

Slide rules are still being made by a company called Concise, in Japan, but they only make circular ones. You can order them from their web site

[MrKtiger]

Wow i learned so much thank you! thats pretty sweet how that works its awesome!

[DeadCreativity]

I love how he uses a calculator to explain how to use his calculator at 3:39

[webmastertool]

Large gap between 1 and 2. bensen's law anyone?

[101animations]

My grandad has one of these from when he worked for a engineering company

[sheph7]

also handy to use as a scale to draw your own log or log-log graph paper.... lets see you kids do THAT with your calculator....

[IcEye89]

Is that a toy sabre with a green D-guard behind you in the video? Nothing wrong with oversized cutlery but the green seems a bit... green.

[delyn0831]

hello every one........ if you happen, thanks for watching

[ChikoWhat]

So it's like using scientific notation to remove all the power then calculate the small numbers easily?

[TheBigmajd]

@singingbanana could you show us how to calculate sin cos and tan please

[Nastuf]

WHOA WHOA WHOA did you just tell me to use my common sense. I live in America buddy I put my common sense in Uncle Bobs Self storage.

Freaking Brits learn hadda speak American.....LOL

Joking I'm getting one of these thanks for explaining this.

[anticorncob6]

I like how whenever you say something embarrasing, the screen turns white and you move on. It's funny. :)

[Mewigi]

My dad got me a really cool one when I was young. I guess it was like "top of the line". It had ALL the stuff that you would need. Addition included. And it had a bunch of other cool features. I'll have to go dig it up. He gave it to me right when I was learning logarithms, so I had a lot of fun breaking down the engineering aspect of it, like how it works.

[anticorncob6]

What about addition and subtraction?

[anticorncob6]

@anticorncob6 nvm I think you already explained it.

[singingbanana]

@anticorncob6 No adding or subtraction on a slide rule.

[anticorncob6]

@singingbanana So... then you must as well use a vintage calculator to do that?

And I would like to see a mechanical calculator that can do sin, cos, and tan.

[singingbanana]

@anticorncob6 Slide rules do sin, cos and tan on the back. But the rules are rather complicated so I didn't want to go into it in this video.

[gw2live]

@anticorncob6 You should be able to do addition on your own...

[anticorncob6]

@gw2live So what's the point of the vintage?

[anticorncob6]

@gw2live I can't do a lot of addition problems in my head.

[HaslamCorp]

Whoa! I wish I could post a graphic. looking at the close up of the slide rule I was reminded of the scale you put up for Benford's Law. The Benford scale work's like a slide rule, too. Is there some natural distribution of numbers that mimics logarithms?

[singingbanana]

@HaslamCorp Yup, they are both the same scale. Benford and the slide rule both use the logarithmic scale.

[InterrobangGroup]

We've got many slide rules from very small, to round, to a 7 foot one used in schools years ago. We like them so much, we made an iPad app called Virtual Slide Rule. Check it out!

[AnCoSt1]

Yes! With this invention, I can spend yet MORE time doing straightforward but impossible to do in your head multiplication. LOLJK I prefer calculators.

[zepoe]

Fifties? I used them in school in the early seventies until the electronic calculator arrived.

[StarTrekLivz]

PS one of my friends has a 1930's era German-made slide-rule made in bronze: it is way cool ....

[StarTrekLivz]

i still have my slide rule, we were allowed to use them in high school physics & chemistry exams -- calculators were not yet available at a price students could afford. Remember the scene in Apollo 13 when the astronauts announced a problem, and the engineers pulled out their sliderules? They were cool.

That said, I prefer my solar calculator that has pi, logarithm's, Euler's Number, trigonometric functions, etc. built in ....

[singingbanana]

@3englands The line is "they were big in the '50s. But then again, so were rickets".

[MortifiedThePenguin]

@3englands You fit the rebelious teen stereotype to a tee. Take that how you will.

[TheJediGorilla]

you came into my school to show us enigma machines, that was a fun day

[bigboss643]

At 4:05 you said the reciprocal of 4 is 2.5 but shouldn't it be 0.25?

[AndrewMarcell]

Do an abacus video next!

[BobbyBigham33]

@GilesTheBest

A reciprocal is when you flip a fraction over such as 3/8, it would then be 8/3. It is when you want to divide a fraction.

[GiaIsTheBest]

whats a riciprecal or something.. :S?

[wondrack94]

how can I get 1 of this?...I'd like to have one..

[Timsquonk]

@wondrack94 This company supplies new ones: concise.co.jp/eng0731/circle02­.html

[PolarisTheRandom]

I have a slide rule and I'm only 16, I WIN SOCIETY!

[OverlordOfTheUnivers]

We put men on the moon using slide rules!!!! :D

[illustriouschin]

I'm pretty sure my brain isn't big enough to understand this stuff.

[pirsquared99]

Thanks for such a great explanation!

[gC222SA]

oh,and one more qustion,can you use these as a actual ruler?

[gC222SA]

what level do you try to explain things at?i mean,a elementary student(probebly) wouldn't be able to understand this,middle school?high?collage?proffesors­? demigod omega floating headed people who shatter calculators just by looking at them,?

[mustangsallybobally]

I've been trying to figure out why my slide rule works for ever! thanks :)

[linabear55]

Very cool

[ralph17p]

Hmmm. I'm not allowed a calculator in my upcoming exam. Doesn't say anything about slide rules...

[gC222SA]

@ralph17p i seriously will try that someday

[Vandol22]

can you please talk about murfeys law

[TwoToBeamUp]

Thanks for a great video. All I have to do now is watch the log part a few dozen times to get it into my head.

I remember using log tables at school. In fact I still have my log tables from 1980.

I think you bringing out the calculator was funny and also proved a point. Slide rules are possibly quite redundant. :o)

[bluecombats]

nice video, also nice to know James Grime has a catchphrase "If you have been, thanks for watching"

[Gabbos]

lost me at logs lol

[101blender]

I've been staring at mine blankly for far too long, so thank you for some basic instructions. It'd be nice if geeks had this sort of awesome status again. Then again, being able to use a slide rule today proves pretty geeky, albeit retro.

[gmsherry1953]

I used a slide rule for chemistry and physics in high school and college; didn't own a calculator until late in my college career -- at which time a calculator that could only do basic arithmetic, plus maybe square roots, cost $100. The idea of explaining slide rules as an ancient archeological artifact makes me feel very old!

[awolvesdestiny]

these slide rules are very cool I've actually cheated on on math test because professors didn't know there was a slide rule on my watch. plus i use my slide rule on my watch to calculate bank shots in my pool game too.

[ZillardFunk]

Holy crap... i actually understand what you are saying.

I'm serious, you are the best math teacher I've ever had, and you never even met me... You're cool.

[aznlalaland]

You should do one about straight edge and compass. =P

[singingbanana]

@aznlalaland Straight edge? Isn't that metalheads who don't drink? Because I'd love to make a video about that!

[aznlalaland]

@singingbanana Smart funny guy eh? Trisect π/3. See who's laughing now!

[Artonox]

I think I need to buy one to complete my nerdiness,

I MEAN,

coolness... :P

[Chazzi27]

"You have to use your common sense"...Well there's your problem.

[Alex123Random]

Where can I get one of these???

[awolvesdestiny]

@Alex123Random go to think geek.com (all one word)

[spinynorman1982]

Was scientific notation birthed with the slide ruler?

[Timsquonk]

@spinynorman1982 you can find them on ebay. also there's a Japanese company called Concise who make new ones, but they're circular

[spinynorman1982]

@Timsquonk uh, thanks.

[TheRacemaster23]

@Timsquonk circular.? cool!

[fix520]

My proffesor is COOLER he has an Ivory and gold one from when he was younger!

[singingbanana]

@fix520 Nice. I wouldn't mind something swish like that.

[someonep93]

Nice! I've got the exact same one (I'm pretty sure thinkgeek is the only one to supply new ones). These really are ingenious pieces of applied mathematics.

My school has a huge slide rule in one of the classrooms (my guesstimate would be just about 2 meters across). It seems like I'm the only one to understand how to use it! :P

[geasscanceler16]

so i dont suppose i can send you my math homework so i cen get all the right answers?

[jampk24]

Ha, brilliant.

[rlaurenssen]

Nice video and clear explanation, I liked it. Could you maybe do a explanation about the Jeppesen

flight computer, which has the same basic idea I think, but is has specific functions for pilots.

It would be awesome to see a mathematical explanation from you.

[dirtygurty4]

the down side to this genius invention is...nobody has any common sence...

[FHomeBrew]

At 3.09, what you did was probably equivalent to left hand sided division by to for the 7. So 3 × 0.7 = 2.1. Is this correct? This thing is great for scientific use, since all the magnitudes are all already noted as 10^x etc :-D. My physics teacher had a huge slide rule (1.0 m in length).

This was a great video since I've been waiting for such an explanation :-D

[singingbanana]

@FHomeBrew That's the idea.

[GetMeThere1]

hehe...first chemistry class in college, 1971, we were taught how to use slide rules, told that it would be a CRITICAL part of our working lives...and indeed many professors walked around with slide rules in scabbards--like so many western gunslingers! Little did they know that 2-3 years later, almost nobody would be using them ever again!

[hollumber]

wow!!

this was really cool

i always feel at awe everytime i see math used in times before technology, because it always seems so elegant. These days, with computers, altho the math's elegant, it loses a bit (imho) because it's mroe about approximation..

[iamUSAn50]

@singingbanana 4:04 doesnt the reciprocal of 4 = .25 not 2.5 ?

[singingbanana]

@iamUSAn50 But the scales are from 1 to 10 so you have to adjust the decimal point yourself. I should have done that but I was just reading it off straight from the slide rule.

[LosTL0rD]

this was amazing .. thanks slidingbanana :P



[P4C4N0W5K1]

James, along with your other videos, these ones showcasing gadgets and tools have added an extra something to your uploads.

Very cool, keep it up :)

[zlobniyrustam]

Hate HTML5, wana full screen(((

[VidCat23]

If only YOU were my math teacher xD

You make math so interesting.

[ffcloud19]

the calculator bit was halarious lol

[WhiteDragonTile]

this is an amazing device. it can do everything a calculator can only it's a much simpler device

[eneses93]

@WhiteDragonTile my calculator can calculate combinations. :P

(ex. 7C2=the number of pairs you can make from seven different objects; 7C3=the number of threesomes you can make from 7 different objects)

[WhiteDragonTile]

@eneses93 yes, but your calculator needs thousands of little microscopic pars to work. this just needs planks

[rickschravendeel]

@eneses93 Threesome =P

[eneses93]

@rickschravendeel well I'm not from an English speaking country :D

I used eurodict and I thought this is the right word =)

[TheMangos27]

...u know... COOL PEOPLE!

[owainmeurig]

Slides rule.

[beno3131]

very cool!

[jbkunst]

You know... cool people!

[yadapashembata]

that looks cool

[D3m190d]

That... thing... is... AWESOME. Would be amazing if someone gathered a whole load of non-digital calculating devices, threw them on a table and used it to solve an equation, rather than a calculator.

[JMaster7777]

He used a calculator for a slide rule =))

[sammil120]

@singingbanana but I like wearing shoes

[nickgrayson1]

Cool! I've wondered for years about how slide rules work! Thanks

[pizzagek]

Wow, I want one of these =D Very cool..

[EasyExpertVillage]

this makes alot of sense. but i bet noone knows it exists though.

[PandeyNisheeth]

Why did you call your username singingbanana?

[TyYann]

Where can I get one? I've been looking for this for years!

[singingbanana]

@TyYann You can buy original '50s, '60s slide rules on ebay. But no one makes them anymore except Think Geek.

[TyYann]

@singingbanana Thanks. Just ordered mine. I want to show my students the powers of Log!

[MlowJoe]

I'm scared

[jasperlolie1]

YAY,

im the 6th comment

[Snakke40]

When it started i was like lol thats like a log and then it was LOL :)

[Slowergrass432]

My dad used to talk about this all the time. xD

I'm happy to finally see one!

[Enter1Name1Here]

Wow, I was just researching this late last night and now you made a video explaining what it is! That's quite cool :P

Thank you!

[thehumblemusic]

wooot

[TruckFilms]

Awesome man!! I love your videos so much!

[relentlessPowers]

second



[TheRopep]

woohoo! You Know what I'm gonna say!