Yesterday the slide-rule way

Posted at 2:10 PM on February 20, 2012 by Bob Collins (4 Comments)
Filed under: Science

There are any number of reasons why I knew I had to drive out to Delano to meet Dave Grout last week, after he called to chat with me following a "newscast" I did on The Current a few weeks ago.

Grout, a Saint Paul native and son of a man who parlayed two peanut-vending machines at Lake Harriet into a nationwide coin-op game business -- pinball machines and jukeboxes -- is a long-time engineering "nerd."

"I started tinkering with radios when I was 8 years old, and started at the University of Minnesota when I was 15," he said. "I got my degree two weeks before I graduated from high school (in Hopkins). I was fascinated by mathematics and I was fascinated by electronics."

Grout says he worked on the space program when NASA was developing the Saturn V rocket ("they needed to be able to measure the stresses on the structure and I had done some work on a much smaller basis and I figured out a way to do it and provide telemetry to the control room"), helped calculate the landing site for the first Mars lander (Viking I), designed speakers and amplifiers for musicians, designed a power steering pump tester for Cadillac, restored jukeboxes, ran a pizza joint in Osseo, and took Joan Jett to his high school class' 50th reunion.

Which ones of those are true, I cannot confirm, but I can confirm the one factoid that made me want to visit him: He doesn't own a computer.

"They bore me to tears," he said.

What he's used his entire engineering life is a slide rule, the rotary telephone of engineers. We're guessing there aren't many people left who can do this, so I wanted to see it before the species becomes extinct.

Grout says this is a talent that needs to be taught in school again. "This thing is wonderful. You don't need a battery, all you need is a little light to see it. But you have to know some mathematics. In my world, if you can't do it with a piece of paper and a pencil, you ought not to be doing it with a machine because you won't know if the machine is lying to you."

Plus Joan Jett must think they're cool.

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Comments (4)

They taught me how to use one of those in high school. That would be 1970 or 71. A couple of years later, I was in college and reasonably priced ($25) battery operated pocket calculators were available. Calculators were not only easier to use, but faster and fit in your pocket. We didn't carry packs then.

No disrespect intended towards Dave. Whatever works for him is fine by me. His way works too. I could not ditch my slide rule fast enough.

Posted by John P. | February 20, 2012 3:09 PM

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If you look hard enough you can still find a slide rule. In fact last year I purchased one from the online retailer Thinkgeek, who had gone to the effort of get them manufactured (alas they don't seem to list them anymore). It resembles the Pickett Microline 125 in this picture.

The box it was packed in has a Pickett style to it similar to the box shown here.

Posted by JackU | February 20, 2012 3:58 PM

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One of my favorite presents this Christmas was my step-dad's slide rule from college. I haven't had a chance to figure it out yet so I'm glad you posted the video. I'm mostly interested in it for the novelty, but I would like to work it into my class someday.

(I'm a grad student in mathematics)

Posted by brian | February 20, 2012 4:02 PM

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The sliderule here -- a beginner's sliderule -- is now on my desk. Dave gave it to me after our visit. I'm looking forward to learning how to use it. A good guy, indeed.

Posted by Bob Collins | February 20, 2012 7:26 PM

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