![]() They were primarily developed as a calculation method to find the products and quotients of numbers. It is believed that the Abacus was introduced to the Chinese by Roman merchants in around 190 AD. The topmost beads can then be returned to the opposing side and small units can be counted again.Įach lower rod represents ever larger powers-of-ten with the third representing hundreds, the next thousands and so on.Ĭhinese Abacus (Suanpan) vary in design and are used in a slightly different manner western versions, but the principle is the same. Once ten is reached a single bead on the next rod can be slid across to represent a unit of ten. The topmost rod represents the number of small units.īy moving them from one side to the other the user can quickly keep track of any unit numbers between one and ten. The principle is very simple - at least for addition. Prior to this is likely humans used their fingers or piles of stones, seeds or beads (or anything really). ![]() The Abacus was the first purpose-built device for counting yet discovered with the exception of the counting board. These are very simple devices compared to modern calculators consisting of sets of ten beads on a series of rods held in place on a quadrilateral frame usually made of wood. The history of the calculator, or what we know of it, began with the hand-operated Abacus in Ancient Sumeria and Egypt in around 2000-2500 BC. Where it all began - The venerable Abacus By picking it up once more you are quite literally holding thousands of years of human history in your hand - as you are about to find out. But we at IE are determined to make sure you never look at that old school calculator the same way ever again.
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