Museum of Science, Tokyo University of Science / Slide Rules
The Museum of Science, Tokyo University of Science was established in 1991. The building is a reconstruction of the original wooden building constructed in 1906 that housed the Tokyo College of Science. The permanent exhibit presents the history of computing devices including abacuses, calculators, and computers. (For more information, see the February 2013 issue of the PR magazine pla-topia.) http://www.tus.ac.jp/info/setubi/museum/
Slide Rules
In 1894, the first slide rule was made in Japan by Jiro Henmi from a bamboo laminate. Dimensional changes due to thermal expansion and contraction of the wood material was slight for Japanese slide rules and they were used throughout the world. In the mid 1960s, slide rules manufactured by Henmi commanded a 70% global market share. Plastic slide rules that overcame weaknesses issues related to thermal coefficient of expansion were also made.
