Final answer:
The "Modern" slide rule was likely invented by Rabbi Levi ben Gershon, a medieval Jewish scholar from southern France, between 1288-1344.
Step-by-step explanation:
The "Modern" slide rule, a tool for performing mathematical calculations, was likely invented by Rabbi Levi ben Gershon (also known as "Gersonides"), who was a Jewish scholar from Provence in southern France. He lived from 1288 to 1344. This places the invention of the slide rule well ahead of the modern era, during the Middle Ages, and demonstrates the long-standing human interest in creating tools to aid in mathematical computations. The mention of Claudius Ptolemy, who lived more than a millennium before Gersonides, indicates that the origins of mathematical tools stretch back even further, although Ptolemy himself did not invent the slide rule.