Accession No
3730
Brief Description
metric conversion rule by Bernier, c. 1800
Origin
Paris; France
Maker
Bernier
Class
calculating
Earliest Date
1800
Latest Date
1800
Inscription Date
Material
metal (brass)
Dimensions
length 847mm; breadth 52mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Purchased from Anthony Turner, 1989.
Inscription
‘Bernier en la Cité à Paris’
Description Notes
Brass rule with 2 scales to convert inches to centimetres.
Condition good; complete
References
Events
Description
Scale Rule
A straight rule with a scale engraved along the length is the simplest instrument for making linear measurements, and has been used since antiquity. However, scale rules were not commonly used for making scale drawings until around 1550 in Northern Europe. Anthropomorphic dimensions such as the foot were commonly used for the scale.
Scale rules can be straight or folding and often have even scales on one side and diagonal scales on the other, which enable the user to divide any measurement into 100 parts. They were often decorated by the maker, demonstrating artistic as well as mathematical skills (although they became more purely functional from mid 18th century). They were usually made of brass, silver, ivory or boxwood.
FM:42220
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