Mathematical Treasures: Smithsonian National Museum of American History Object Groups

Historical mathematical objects are found in collections throughout the 19 museums and galleries that comprise the Smithsonian Institution (along with the National Zoological Park and 9 research facilities). As curators, staff, and volunteers pursue an Institution-wide goal to digitize over 138 million artifacts and specimens and over 2 million library volumes, an ever-growing number of the mathematical objects may be found in the Smithsonian's Collections Search Center.

The National Museum of American History (NMAH) has made it even easier to identify and locate similar types of objects by featuring Object Groups on its website. (For an explanation of object groups, see the article by Amy Ackerberg-Hastings and Amy Shell-Gellasch, "Online Museum Collections in the Mathematics Classroom.") Convergence's Mathematical Treasures feature at least one object from each of the groups of mathematical objects; the page for each object includes a link to the complete object group at NMAH.

These images may be used for instructional and educational purposes; for all other uses, please obtain permission from NMAH's Archives Center.

Mathematical Treasures from NMAH Object Groups

• Abaci & Numeral Frames – Modern Chinese Abacus
• Adders – Troncet Arithmographe Owned by Daniel Draper
• Adding Machines – Jean Lepine’s Stylus-Operated Adding Machine
• Adding Machines – Thomas Hill's Patent Model for a Key-Driven Adding Machine
• Arithmetic Teaching Apparatus – Add-A-Count Scale for Teaching Arithmetic
• Bookkeeping Machines – National Class 3000 Bookkeeping Machine
• Calculating Machines – Frederick A. P. Barnard's Calculating Machine
• Cash & Credit Registers – Model Cash Register Designed by the Ritty Brothers
• Charter Members of MAA – Geometric Model by Harry Wheeler, 1915
• Counters – Moffett Register for Recording Alcohol Sales
• Dividers & Drawing Compasses – Maurice Kidjel's Ratio Cali-Pro
• Electronic Calculators (Desktop) – Wang Loci-2 Programmable Calculator
• Electronic Calculators (Handheld) – Hewlett-Packard HP28S from the AMS Centennial Meeting
• Ellipsographs – Keuffel & Esser Trammel Ellipsograph
• Flowcharting Templates – RCA Flowcharting Template
• Geometric Models – Dissected Rhombic Dodecahedron by A. Harry Wheeler
• Geometric Models – Elongated Pentagonal Pyramid
• Geometric Models – Jullien Models for Descriptive Geometry
• Geometric Models – Paper Model of Elliptic Paraboloid by Brill
• Geometric Models – Thermodynamic Surface by Richard P. Baker
• Geometric Models – Transformable Plane Dissections by A. Harry Wheeler
• Geometric Models – Wire Frame for Soap Film Minimal Surface by Brill
• Kinematic Models – Hypotrochoid Kinematic Model by M. Schilling
• Mathematical Charts & Tables – Number Line Owned by Andrew Gleason
• Mathematical Paintings – Crockett Johnson's Mathematical Paintings
• Mechanical Integrators and Differential Analyzers – Product Integraph by Vannevar Bush and Colleagues
• Metric System Demonstration Apparatus – Demonstration Metric Grain Measures
• Pantographs – Coradi Suspension Pantograph
• Parallel Rules – Captain Field's Improved Parallel Rule
• Pens & Pencils – Rubik's Cube Museum Promotional Pen
• Planimeters – Polar Planimeter Invented by Jacob Amsler
• Protractors – Japanese Protractor for the 1876 World's Fair
• Punch Cards – Factor Stencil Punch Cards
• Scale Rules – Nels Ockerlund's Patent Model for a Combination Ruler
• Sectors – Sector from Jesse Ramsden's Workshop
• Sets of Drawing Instruments – Early Modern Drawing Instruments
• Slide Rules – Raymond Clare Archibald's Slide Rule
• Spherometers – Grunow Spherometer
• Tabulating Equipment – Statistical Tabulator of Benjamin Wood
• Teaching Machines & Mechanical Learning – B. F. Skinner’s Arithmetic Teaching Machine
• Triangles & Squares – Blackboard-Sized Triangles
• Trigonometry in the Plane – Trigonometer for Use with World War II Artillery
• Trigonometry on the Sphere – Model of Spherical Triangle by A. Harry Wheeler
• Women in Mathematics – Objects Related to Women Mathematicians
• Women Teaching & Learning Mathematics in the United States – Boole Senior Blocks Designed by Edith Dummer Mintzer