Abacus

An abacus (Latin abacus, Greek ὁ ἄβαξ, Greek ἄβακος, abax, ábakos, the board, the board ) is a more than 3000 year old simple mechanical devices for calculation. The abacus has beads, usually wooden or glass beads, the comparable abacus and coins ( Rechenpfennige ) or computing stones came ( calculi ) are used.

Description

The abacus is comprised of a frame having balls or stones which are threaded on rods guided in grooves, respectively, grooves or slots. The variant with balls is also known as Russian abacus ( Stschoty, probably of Russian Stschot (Russian счёт, invoice ) ) because it was used there in this version. Depending on the version, the names abacus, abacus, arithmetic table cloth or computational occur. The balls or computing gems provide by their location a certain number represents, that is, it is usually a place value system as a basis. When Russian abacus there is not the division as in other countries, in which a portion of the balls is separated, the (usually five times ) have a higher value. But in the Russian version a separate fractions board is normally used yet.

An abacus allows the implementation of the basic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division as well as the drawing of square and cube roots. The higher arithmetical operations could not be carried out easily with Roman numerals. Therefore, there was a slightly modified abacus in the Roman Empire.

History

The abacus is one of the oldest known devices for calculation and was probably invented around 1100 BC in the Indo - Chinese culture. He was adopted and simplified about 1600 AD by the Japanese. The abacus was from ancient times - used ( before the general enforcement of the Arabic decimal system ) to about the 16th century - in Europe by the Greeks and Romans. Since the mid-17th century, the abacus was supplanted by the mechanical calculating machines, so that it is viewed in Europe only as a children's toy, but as the calculation aids for the blind is still in use. However, he is in the east, nor used from the Balkans to China here and there as a low-cost computing machine for small transactions. Excavations also Aztec Abaki were (from about 900-1000 AD) found.

As the oldest surviving abacus ( circa 300 BC) is the salami niche board ( National Museum in Athens). Even the German Rechenmeister Adam Ries described the application of accounting boards in his work " arithmetic book on lines and Ziphren in all sorts Handthierung / geschäfften and Kaufman Creates ".

The most common forms are the Roman abacus, the Chinese Suanpan (算盘/算盘), the Japanese Soroban and the Russian Stschoty (Russian Счёты ). Zhusuan, a traditional calculation method with the Suanpan, was added in 2013 to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Operation

In the application of the abacus is expected by the new sum is in each case immediately set as a result by adding a positive or negative numbers.

When learning the skill to reckon with the abacus, it, therefore, is essentially a matter for each output digit (0 to 9) to learn how each is set to be added or subtracted digit. If as a result of continuous practicing the finger even "know" so to speak without thinking what they have to do, the numbers can be entered much faster than on an electronic calculator. However, the time savings is only available for addition and subtraction, as they are usually required in retail.

Multiplication and division, and square root to be recycled such as in the use of mechanical processing machine in accordance with the methods of writing to multiple arithmetic addition or subtraction.

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