Credit: © The Royal Society
Image number: RS.10394
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‘Superdigit’ mathematical calculator
Date
1741
Creator
Robert Flower (British) , Instrument maker
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Dimensions
height (drawing): 75mm
width (painting): 160mm
width (painting): 160mm
Subject
Content object
Description
Abacus-like mathematical instrument consisting of 384 moving squares intended for calculation. The author indicated that “The Quickest Operation upon this Instrument, is by a New Method of Infinite Series, called the Decimal Series....”
The first of six figures from the paper “The arithmetic of the superdigit”, by Robert Flower, signed and dated on 18 April 1742 [but endordsed 1741] and sent to the Royal Society. Not published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. In addition to this paper, Flower also demonstrated his invention at the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society in 1739.
Robert Flower was not a Fellow of the Royal Society.
The first of six figures from the paper “The arithmetic of the superdigit”, by Robert Flower, signed and dated on 18 April 1742 [but endordsed 1741] and sent to the Royal Society. Not published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. In addition to this paper, Flower also demonstrated his invention at the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society in 1739.
Robert Flower was not a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Associated place