What is an ABACUS?
An abacus is a device used for addition and subtraction, and the related operations of multiplication and division. It does not require the use of pen and paper, and it’s good for any base number system. There are two basic forms for the abacus: a specially marked flat surface used with counters (counting table), or a frame with beads strung on wires (bead frame).
An abacus is a device used for addition and subtraction, and the related operations of multiplication and division. It does not require the use of pen and paper, and it’s good for any base number system. There are two basic forms for the abacus: a specially marked flat surface used with counters (counting table), or a frame with beads strung on wires (bead frame). (5) The name Abacus derives from the Greek word ABAX meaning table or board covered with dust. The origins of the Abacus are buried deep in the history of mankind. But it is generaly assumed that the origins of the Abacus lies in the Middle East some where in the period known as the Early Middle Ages. The model developed during that period had a wooden frame with several wires each strung with 10 beads. Three more than the Abaci we know now from Asia. It is known that in its ‘modern’ form – 7 beads per string – the abacus appeared in China between the 12th and 13th century AD. The abacus was most probably imported by merchant
Article about the abacus, picture of abacus, the salamis table, counting boards, the chinese abacus, where to buy an abacus, and the history and origins of the abacus, and related links for further study. The abacus was one of the earliest counting devices in Asia and parts of Europe. It is still used today for arithmetic: adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing.
An abacus is a form of manually operated counting aid which has been around for thousands of years. Abaci continue to be used in parts of Asia and Middle East, especially in shops, and they can often be acquired in stores which stock Chinese or Japanese goods. In the West, the abacus is sometimes used as a teaching tool to help young children grasp numbers, and some mathematicians enjoy experimenting with the abacus to work out simple problems. The design of an abacus varies, depending on the region of the world it is from, but generally it consists of a frame which supports rods or wires. The rods hold beads which can be moved around on the frame to represent various numbers. In some cases, an abacus has a crossbeam which divides the rods; the beads above the beam are multiples of five, while those below are multiples of one. Each rod in an abacus represents a decimal place. “Abacus” comes from the Greek abax, which means “counting board.” The Greeks used boards covered in sand to dra
