Gunter, Edmund

1581-1626. English mathematician who in 1620 published trigonometric tables with logarithms. His scales, which could be used to multiply numbers using dividers, were invaluable to the seafarer who called them "Gunters." This was published in 1624 in his Description and Use of the Sector, the Crosse-Staffe and other Instruments. The Gunter scale is the basis of the slide rule.