Accession No
3955
Brief Description
Napier’s bones, by Harriet Wynter, English, 1991
Origin
England; London
Maker
Wynter, Harriet
Class
mathematics; calculating
Earliest Date
1991
Latest Date
1991
Inscription Date
1991
Material
wood (boxwood, walnut); metal (brass)
Dimensions
(case) length 154mm, width 120mm, height 23mm (rod) length 89mm, width 10mm, height 10mm (multiplier rod) length 91mm, width 29mm, height 10mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Donated, 1992.
Inscription
‘Harriet Wynter. London. 1991 2/100’ (base of case)
Description Notes
10 boxwood rods, punched numerals on four sides, multiplier rod on walnut and boxwood tabulat with brass pins, square-root block. Walnut case with sliding lid. Rods, block and tabulat carry Harriet Wynter logo.
Condition good; complete.
References
Events
Description
In 1617 John Napier invented the calculating aid Napiers bones. These were first described in his book Numeration by Little Rods in 1617. Each of the 10 rods or ‘bones’ in a set are engraved with a multiplication table. This simple device made multiplying and dividing large numbers very easy by transforming the calculations into simple addition and subtraction. The rods became extremely popular and spread across Europe lasting well into the 20th century where they were still used in primary schools in the 1960’s.
FM:45394
Images (Click to view full size):
