Accession No

0487 (?)

Brief Description

boxwood rule, 17th century

Origin

Maker

Class

mathematics; calculating

Earliest Date

1625

Latest Date

1700

Inscription Date

Material

wood (boxwood)

Dimensions

length 166mm; breadth 32mm; thickness 3mm

Special Collection

Provenance

Purchased by Robert Stewart Whipple from T.H. Court on 28/05/1927. (These acquisition details are those for 0487.)

Inscription

Description Notes

Boxwood 6-inch rule with one bevelled edge.
Obverse carries six scales. Scale of ‘equal parts, marked ‘L’, divided 0 - 0 - 100, [0] - 10[0], numbered by 10, first 0 - 0 subdivided to 1. Scale of chords, marked ‘Ch’, divided [0] - 90˚, numbered by 10˚, subdivided to 1˚. Scale of rumbs, marked ‘Ru’, divided [0] - 8, numbered by 1, subdivided to 0.25. Scale of sines, marked ‘Si’, divided [0] - [90˚], numbered by 10˚ (excluding 80˚), 0 - 40˚ subdivided to 1˚, 40˚ - 70˚ subdivided to 2˚, 70˚ - 80˚ subdivided to 5˚. Scale of tangents, marked ‘Ta’, divided [0] - [73˚], numbered by 10˚, subdivided to 1˚. Scale of semi-tangents, marked ‘S ta’, divided [0] - [146˚], numbered by 10˚, subdivided to 2˚. Scale of hours, marked ‘H’, divided [0] - 6, numbered by 1, subdivided to 15 minutes. Scale of ‘P’ divided [0] - 10, [0] - 7, numbered by 1, 0 - 0 subdivided to 0.2. Scale of secants, unmarked, divided 10˚ - [73˚], numbered by 10˚, 10 ˚ - 20˚ subdivided to 5˚, 20˚ - 40˚ subdivided to 2˚, 40˚ - 73˚ subdivided to 1˚.
Reverse has scale of inches divided [0] - 6, numbered by 1, subdivided to 0.1. Scale of decimal feet, divided [0] - 50, numbered by 10, subdivided to 1. Also scale of half inches and quarter inches with transversal scales for subdivision to hundredths.

Condition fair (gouged at one point); 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:39560