Remember the time before calculators when hi tech meant using a slide rule? I'm writing a new book where two people from 2109 are thrown back to 1909, and at one point they use slide rules. The last time I had one in my hands was the 1970's, and I vaguely remember the basics, but it's taking some research to remember enough to put the information in my book. Plus, how much would a reader really want to know, especially in a ranching community.
In a way this was brought on by our pecan tree, which somehow acquired some web worms. I wanted to know how high they were in the tree, plus, as an afterthought, how tall the tree itself was. Which brought on trig and the use of tangents in a right angle triangle. I still remember our physics teacher taking us to the microwave tower outside of town to determine its height. Who knew trig would ever be useful in the real world for anything. You know what the hardest part is? Determining the angle from the ground to the web worms and the top of the tree.
