Patent Model for an Adder with Carry Invented by George Farmer
National Museum of American History

Patent Model for an Adder with Carry Invented by George Farmer

Farmer, George · 1867

brass (overall material)
National Museum of American History
CC0 — Public Domain
National Museum of American History

This patent model for an adder has three concentric, linked discs that revolve on a central pivot. The bottom disc is numbered from 1 to 99 clockwise around its toothed edge, to represent hundreds and thousands. Above it is a smaller disc, also with teeth around the edge, numbered from 00 to 99 clockwise to represent units and tens. A window in the third, top, largest disc shows the result on the dials below. The largest disc is numbered from 1 to 100 around the edge. Atop this disc is a rotating arm. Moving the arm counterclockwise advances the inner disc proportionally, allowing one to enter numbers up to 99.

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