Keuffel & Esser 68-1400 Analon Simplex Slide Rule

This one-sided linear slide rule is made of white Ivorite (plastic) with a plastic indicator and brass-colored endpieces holding the parts together. A triangle and an A are stamped on the back of both of the endpieces. The top of the base has V squared, square root of V, and A scales; B, square root of U, U inverse, U, and C scales are on the slide; and D, V, and V inverse scales are on the lower part of the base. The right end of the rule is marked: ANALON (/) 68 1400; K+E; © 1966 (/) KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.; MADE IN U.S.A.

The back of the slide has a table for the dimensional analysis of 30 quantities used in physics, including acceleration, magnetic induction, and capacitance. The top back of the base is marked: ANALON ENGINEERING-SCIENCE ANALYSIS SLIDE RULE; MKS SYSTEM; 536. ("MKS" indicates meters, kilograms, and seconds.) The back of the slide is marked with the K+E logo at the left and the serial number 009536 at the right. The lower part of the back of the base is marked: NUMERICAL FACTORS ARE OMITTED IN DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS; KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.; 536. The rule has an orange leather case, stamped K+E on the flap and ANALON on the front. For related documentation, see 304347.02.

The instrument was only listed in K&E's 1967 catalog. It suffered from production problems, and buyers often found the instruction manual to be incomprehensible. According to former curator Uta Merzbach, the ANALON slide rule was the last model manufactured by Keuffel & Esser at its plant in Hoboken, N.J., which closed in 1970. The company donated this example to the Smithsonian in 1973.

References: Keuffel & Esser Co., Catalog 8—Slide Rules, rev. ed. ([New York], 1967), 10, 18; Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the AnaLon Slide Rule," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke68-1400family.htm.

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