tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post266275902216213179..comments2024-03-28T03:57:20.041-04:00Comments on Eaton Rapids Joe: Lessons Learned and RelearnedEaton Rapids Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09102166969915526172noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post-71323509651360642012014-03-01T11:50:53.892-05:002014-03-01T11:50:53.892-05:00Joe, Re: Slide Rules and Pocket Calculators. I a...Joe, Re: Slide Rules and Pocket Calculators. I am a mechanical engineer that experienced *the* transition period. By that I mean my first 2 years of college were spent using a slide rule because that was all we had. I still have that slide rule (the best one could buy, a Post Versalog plastic laminated self-lubricating bamboo) and still hate it. Then the pocket calculators came, all at once it seemed, and I spent the last 2.00000 years of college with my beloved HP-35. It was an interesting time to experience. The first thing I noticed was that at least 2 hours of homework (slave labor) was eliminated each night. The "great debate" in the classroom was whether or not to allow use of the calculators for tests. It didn't take long for the professors to figure out what to do. Suddenly all tests had problems that only required the ability to set up the equation. The math was trivial and often optional. What a concept! I will admit that using a slide rule forces one to learn how to do quick mental estimates. A lost skill these days I believe. Of course your comments about the limits of precision are spot on. But those are the *only* positive things I can say about having learned to use a slide rule. Long live the spreadsheet (or Mathmatica or whatever comes next)!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com