When my oldest daughter was young, I started calling her "Bitty" because she was itty bitty. Now 22 years old, she's still my Bitty, both in name and size.
With modern tech, we celebrate the efficiency of smaller phones and computers, with components so miniaturized that they've almost become disposable. More power in the palm of the hand. This race to produce the most power in the least footprint became the defining characteristic of success within the electronics industry.
But with slide rules, the push toward miniaturization looked quite a bit different. Afterall, more power equated with more visible real-estate on the slide rule itself. The worlds' most power rules, those with 30+ scales on them, would not have been possible on the smallest of slide rules, no matter how advanced the construction was, the trade-off being the user's ability to actually read the graduations and markings on the rule.
But this did not keep itty bitty slide rules from existing. Whether for pocket portability or simply functionality, slides rules exist that are smaller than you might believe. This entry explores some of those rules from the collection (among others that are not). But first, let's look historically at many of the issues surrounding the production of the itty bitty rules.
Pocket Rule Evolution
Samples from the Collection
Hemmi NO. 35ML /Post 1441
K&E 4031
Faber Castell 73/91 Mini-Pocket
Pickett N600
Concise
Logomat Pfiffikus 2001
With modern tech, we celebrate the efficiency of smaller phones and computers, with components so miniaturized that they've almost become disposable. More power in the palm of the hand. This race to produce the most power in the least footprint became the defining characteristic of success within the electronics industry.
But with slide rules, the push toward miniaturization looked quite a bit different. Afterall, more power equated with more visible real-estate on the slide rule itself. The worlds' most power rules, those with 30+ scales on them, would not have been possible on the smallest of slide rules, no matter how advanced the construction was, the trade-off being the user's ability to actually read the graduations and markings on the rule.
But this did not keep itty bitty slide rules from existing. Whether for pocket portability or simply functionality, slides rules exist that are smaller than you might believe. This entry explores some of those rules from the collection (among others that are not). But first, let's look historically at many of the issues surrounding the production of the itty bitty rules.
Pocket Rule Evolution
Samples from the Collection
Hemmi NO. 35ML /Post 1441
K&E 4031
Faber Castell 73/91 Mini-Pocket
Pickett N600
Concise
Logomat Pfiffikus 2001
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