A MACHINE THAT SOLVES PROBLEMS.
PROF. S. W. BURNHAM, the noted astronomer, has invented a calculating machine which will lighten the labor of the mathematician in intricate and involved work. Simple in construction, by its aid multiplication and division, the extraction of square roots and roots up to the ninth power entail no more mental work than the mere moving of a screw and an index hand. The principle is the same as that of the sliding computing rule, but it does away with the double work of the use of the sliding rule. Professor Burnham applies the principle to two metal circles, one within the other. The scale is cut on the inner edge of the outer circle. Both are cut together on the machine, so they register exactly. The scale is divided into 1,000 lines, with extended lines at the hundreds and tens. The inner circle is movable. This permits an indefinite prolongation of computation.—Press Dispatch.