Skip to main content

Search

❤ My Visit  Donate

Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Hours and Locations
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Mall Museum Map
    • Dining
    • Shopping
    • Accessibility
    • Group Visits
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current Exhibitions
      • Upcoming
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Online Exhibitions
    • Today's Events
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • Art & Design
    • History & Culture
    • Science & Conservation
    • Collections
      • Open Access
      • Smithsonian Snapshot
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Freer and Sackler Archives
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Blogs
    • Podcasts
    • Mobile Apps
  • Learn
    • For Kids and Teens
    • For Educators
      • Resources
      • Field Trips
      • Professional Development
      • Events
    • Youth Programs
    • Fellowships and Internships
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Visitor Information Specialist
      • Docent Programs
    • Citizen Science
    • Work with Us
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Working Here
        • Employee Benefits
        • Job Opportunities
        • How to Apply
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • Affiliations
      • Global Partners
  • Support
    • About Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Your Membership
    • Make a Gift
  • About
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Research Centers
    • Cultural Centers
    • Education
    • Our Organization
      • Leadership
        • Secretary Bunch
        • Advancement
        • Communications
        • Administration
        • Education
        • Museums and Culture
        • Science and Research
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Contact
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Records Request Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Equal Employment Office
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Special Emphasis Program
        • Supplier Diversity Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Policies and Procedures
          • Additional Resources
          • Goals and Accomplishments
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
        • One Smithsonian
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Hemmi Simplex Slide Rule Retailed by Post (1446)

National Museum of American History

Addthis Share Tools

    • Print

Object Details

SUN HEMMI JAPAN CF
distributor
Frederick Post Co.
Description
Hemmi, a Japanese slide rule firm established in 1895, became notable after it began in 1912 to apply celluloid to bamboo, resulting in rules that did not shrink or expand like wooden rules. Hemmi also made rules for export, and it became the sole supplier of linear slide rules to the Frederick W. Post Company of Chicago by 1932. Post sold model 1446 between 1931 and 1949 for $1.50. The donor reported that he purchased this example in 1936 while studying at Colgate University. This date is consistent with the company logo on the case, which was in use in the 1930s, and with the lack of reference on the instrument to "Occupied Japan," as Hemmi rules were marked from 1946 to 1950. Hemmi products were not available in the United States during World War II.
This one-sided bamboo rule is coated with white celluloid only on the front. There are A and D scales on the base. The D scale is marked at each end: Quot (/) +1; Prod (/) -1. The slide has B and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The indicator is glass in a metal frame. The rule's backing is clear and silver celluloid. It contains a chart with fractions converted to decimal numbers, powers of П, relationships between scales C and D, and weights of metals.
The center top of the base is marked in red: THE FREDERICK POST CO. NO. 1446. The center bottom of the base is marked in black: "SUN" (between two drawings of the sun); HEMMI; MADE IN JAPAN. The edge of the indicator is also engraved: SUN (between two drawings of the sun) HEMMI.
The rule is stored in a rectangular black Fabrikoid case which is opened by removing the right end. This end is marked in white: POSTS (/) 1446. The back of the case is marked: MADE IN JAPAN. The rule came with a stapled leaflet of instructions, 1982.0386.03.
References: Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 79–82; International Slide Rule Museum, "Slide Rule Dates and Time-Lines," http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm; Posts Dependable Drawing Materials, 18th ed. (Chicago: The Frederick Post Company, 1936), 174. Price lists for this catalog dated August 1937 and May 1940 show model 1446 on pages 11–12 and 27–28, respectively.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of John A. Betcher
1931-1939
ID Number
1982.0386.02
accession number
1982.0386
catalog number
1982.0386.02
Object Name
slide rule
Physical Description
bamboo (overall material)
celluloid (laminate material)
glass (cursor material)
fabricoid (case material)
paper (part material)
Measurements
overall: 4 cm x 29.2 cm x 3.9 cm; 1 9/16 in x 11 1/2 in x 1 17/32 in
place sold
United States: Illinois, Chicago
place made
Japan: Japan
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Mathematics
Science & Mathematics
Slide Rules
National Museum of American History
subject
Mathematics
Education
General Calculation
Record ID
nmah_1215023
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746aa-b09a-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Related Content

  • Slide Rules:Untitled

    American History Museum
  • Slide Rules:Untitled

    American History Museum
  • Slide Rules:Untitled

    American History Museum
  • Slide Rules:Untitled

    American History Museum
Slide Rule - POST MODEL 1446 by Hemmi
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Press Room
  • Human Resources
  • Host Your Event
  • Access Smithsonian
  • EEO & Supplier Diversity
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Email signup form

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
Back to Top