The user of an abacus is called an abacist (soft or hard 'c'). The Latin word came from ancient Greek ἄβαξ ( abax) which means something without base, or (improperly) any piece of rectangular board or plank.īoth abacuses' and abaci are used as plurals. The use of the word abacus dates from before 1387 AD, when the word was got from Latin to describe a sandboard abacus. Every column represents a different digit. For example, 8 is one bead on top and 3 below, because 5 + 3 = 8. There are one or two beads in the top rows, and four or five beads in the bottom ones. This abacus is split into two kinds of basic rows, the top is for the '5's, and the bottom is for the 'ones'. Expert abacus users can sometimes do math faster than basic calculators. They can be used to find the square root of whole numbers. vorasak sombatpiboon/ Long before the invention of the electronic calculator or the computer, people counted and did calculations with a device called an abacus. By moving the beads, people can add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers. Ībacuses can do addition, subtraction, multiplication, division. Students Scholars The abacus is an ancient device to help solve math problems. The most common abacuses work by moving beads on rods. Sometimes blind people use an abacus, because they can feel the numbers easily. It is still used in some parts of the world, and it is well suited for use in shops and street markets. An abacus is an old tool used for arithmetic. The most common abacuses work by moving beads on rods. An abacus or bead frame from a Danish elementary school.

An abacus or bead frame from a Danish elementary schoolĪn abacus is an old tool used for arithmetic.

Abacus beads definition