Abacus is a manual counting aid used in Asia and the Middle East, consisting of a frame with rods and beads. It can be used for basic mathematical functions and originated in China. The name comes from the Greek word “abax”. It is also used as a teaching tool for children.
An abacus is a form of manual counting aid that has been around for thousands of years. Abaci continue to be used in parts of Asia and the Middle East, especially in shops, and can often be purchased in shops selling Chinese or Japanese products. In the West, it is sometimes used as a teaching tool to help children understand numbers, and some mathematicians enjoy experimenting with the abacus to solve simple problems.
The design of an abacus varies, depending on which region of the world it comes from, but it generally consists of a frame that supports rods or wires. The rods contain beads that can be moved around the frame to represent various numbers. In some cases, an abacus has a crossbar dividing the rods; the beads above the beam are multiples of five, while those below are multiples of one. Each rod represents one decimal place.
The name derives from the Greek abax, which means “counting table”. The Greeks used sand-covered tables to draw equations as they worked on them, and probably took the habit from the Jews, who used the word abaq to describe a counting table. Both the Greeks and Romans used various forms of the abacus; the Romans preferred for example boards with grooves and beads or rocks. The counting frame style with rods and beads appears to have originated in China.
An experienced abacist can calculate a variety of basic mathematical functions on an abacus. Addition and subtraction are of course relatively straightforward, but the tool can also be used to divide and multiply numbers, and to find square or cube roots. Many Chinese shop visitors are familiar with the clicking sounds of an abacus in use, as well as the sudden rattling that occurs when one is shaken back to zero.
In essence, an abacus could be viewed as a visual aid for performing basic math problems, such as an extension of counting on your fingers and toes. A fair amount of skill is required to use an abacus for functions such as finding cube roots; you may be able to find a manual for doing such calculations using this tool in a bookstore. In addition to finding abacuses available for purchase at shops specializing in Asian products, it is also possible to make one with the guidance of a text to help determine the style.
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