[AT] Blizzard of '78

[Dean VP]

Charlie,

I know of what you are talking about. I took Algebra, Chemistry and Physics via Correspondence courses from the University Of
Nebraska in High School. Our high school had 45 total students(17 in my class) in a very rural area in NW IA. It was not a very good
preparation for Engineering school. 

Dean VP 
Apache Junction, AZ

"If pilots' vision were as bad as economists', Amtrak would be profitable."

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of charlie hill
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 5:31 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] Blizzard of '78

Dean, the K & E slide rules were the most popular at NC State too.  I don't 
know why I decided I wanted a Post Versalog.  I don't think there
was much difference in price if any.  It has held up well so I guess it was 
a good choice.  We didn't get the luxury of a slide rule course.
We were expected to know how to use it.  I went to a small rural high 
school, a good school but with limited resources.  I guess I had
seen a slide rule before but never used one.  I had never studied logarithms 
either and was expected to know that.  I was also expected to have
had high school physics but not enough folks signed up for physics my senior 
year so I didn't have that either.  There were 3 guys from my high school
class of 68 people enrolled in engineering school at NC State that year. 
Two of us flunked out within two years.  The third guy was our class 
Valedictorian
and the guy that always had the highest aptitude test scores all the way 
through high school.  He made it through the first two years and all the 
fundamental
courses but barely.  After getting that behind him the rest wasn't so bad 
and he graduated.

When I went back to school a few years later I took a remedial algebra 
course, then pre-calculus and all the way through calculus series and aced 
all of it.
I did well in Chemistry too.  We just had the deck stacked against us 
before.  They actually told us that 2/3 of us would flunk out and they 
weren't lying.

Charlie


-----Original Message----- 
From: Dean VP
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 5:40 PM
To: 'Antique tractor email discussion group'
Subject: Re: [AT] Blizzard of '78

Charlie,

At Iowa State University in the early 60's, all engineering students were 
required to take a Slide Rule Course.  I don't remember
now whether it was a 2 or 3 credit class.  We not only learned how to use 
most of the scales, how to properly carry zero's and to do
it quickly since most tests were designed to test accuracy as well as speed. 
That stinking slide rule would get very sticky at times
when one got a bit nervous.  K & E's were the most popular slide rules. I 
somehow accumulated several slide rules including round
ones and have them all stored away for some reason.  I brought them out once 
to show to the grandchildren. They already thought I
was old, after that they were sure I was prehistoric!



Dean VP
Apache Junction, AZ

"If pilots' vision were as bad as economists', Amtrak would be profitable."


-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com 
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of charlie hill
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 2:27 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] Blizzard of '78

Ron the engineering gave me up!  LOL.   There were a lot of guys fighting to
stay in engineering school during the Viet Nam war and NC State was bound
and determined to give some us a chance to
visit the draft board!

I've still got my old Post Versalog somewhere around here complete with it's
leather "holster".  I never could really use the thing other than just the
basic functions.  It's got 24 scales.  I don't have a clue what about half
of them do and never did.

Charlie

-----Original Message----- 
From: Ron Cook
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 3:57 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] Blizzard of '78

Believe it or not, I had to buy one a few years ago to show to my son
how it used to be.  He still can't get over the trig tables book.  Calls
it cheating.  I asked him what the heck that scientific calculator was.

By the way, I unfortunately gave up the engineering thing and went to
flying airplanes.  Maybe not the wisest choice, but I never had any
problem operating the E6B.  Now you don't need that thing, just go with
the GPS system.

Ron Cook
Salix, IA

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