• Damaskox@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    I can barely deal with anything more complicated after dividing and percent, I think. (I last studied math at trade school like 15 years ago, in Europe)

      • tpyo@lemmy.world
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        18 hours ago

        Hey that’s really awesome! My dad showed me how to use one a long time ago. Those things are pure magic

        • Zerush@lemmy.ml
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          17 hours ago

          I know, with it you can calculate everything, exept adition and substraction, this you must do still by hand. But it shows only the number value, not if it 13,48 or 1348. Later with the electronic calculators it was easier, more if they are programmable. Sadly when these appears I already finished my studies.

          • tpyo@lemmy.world
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            16 hours ago

            Electronic calculators have their own magic but with slide rules you conjure it yourself and it’s beautiful. I like seeing the how behind the why

            Next time I visit I’ll ask to be shown again. I miss the long, boring explanations about how every single part of a keyboard works and how they all mechanically and electronically mesh to put our finger taps into words on a screen

            I’m sorry for waxing nostalgia, it just kinda dawned on me I haven’t let him know I appreciated being taught those things because nowadays we just expect things to work and don’t question the “magic”

            • Zerush@lemmy.ml
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              9 hours ago

              In essence is very easy to understand, you can eg. multiplicate adding to logarrithm numbers, as said too rulers with logarrithm scale serve to multiplicate two numbers, same as two rulers with a normal cm scale can serve to add two numbers, putting the zero of one on eg. 4,5 cm of the other ruler and youll see that under the 3 cm of the first ruler, appears 7,5 cm. so you have calculed 4,5 + 3=7,5. The slide rulers work the same way, only that they use different logarithmm scales, whith which you can multiplicate, calculate angles, square roots and other, depending on the used scale. Thr magic of logarrithms-