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It figures

Nature Chemistry volume 9, pages 501–502 (2017)Cite this article

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Using a slide rule showed Michelle Francl where chemists' calculations are still stuck in the past.

“Does it matter which version of the Nernst equation we use?” wondered the student in my office, puzzled by the extra factor of 2.303 in one form. “No, that just changes the base on the log from e to 10,” I replied, foolishly adding: “Some people prefer to work in log10, it's easier.” All three students in my office looked at their calculators and each other, and chorused: “What?” I could read their minds: “She thinks the log button is easier to push than the ln button?” Lamely, I qualified my answer: “On a slide rule.” “Whaatt?”

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Lisa Balbes for sharing her material on slide rules and Curta mechanical calculators.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Michelle Francl is in the Department of Chemistry at Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania 19010-2899, USA, and at the Vatican Observatory, V-00120, Vatican City State,

    Michelle Francl

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  1. Michelle Francl
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Correspondence to Michelle Francl.

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Basic operations on a slide rule (PDF 3440 kb)

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Francl, M. It figures. Nature Chem 9, 501–502 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2788

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