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How to Use an Abacus
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Modern people are still fascinated with the idea that abacus can truly perform mathematical computations given the simple way it was created and the simple rationale behind its existence. Nonetheless, the simplicity of the idea of an abacus goes against the complexities it can execute. Though you can picture in your mind how does an abacus look like and how does it work, the image you created however is already influenced by the fact that it is just an ordinary tool in computing when sometimes it’s not actually the case.
Abacuses are still used in other Asian countries like China and Japan despite the advent of more powerful calculators. The Chinese however is often recognized as the inventors and pioneers of abacus, and such claim credited to the abacus is: the earliest calculating machine in the world. Given these facts, people couldn’t help themselves to learn how to use an abacus.
Mathematical calculations using abacus has representations that will help the user do the computation. Beads represent quantity while beads’ position represents value. When you get an abacus you will notice that it is divided into two parts. Given an abacus with 13 rows of which there are five beads, then, the lower part contains four beads while the upper part has only one bead.
The first step: move all the beads to the bottom of the abacus by slanting it causing the beads to fall the bottom. You will know that you did the proper thing when your abacus’ section which has five beads in every row is at the bottom section over the section that has one bead in each row. Now let us mark eight ones by pushing the upper section from the furthest right row or the ones row and then position the three earth beads at the same row.
On the other hand, marking two tens would be done by pushing two earth beads from the next row or the ten’s row. Then, in marking hundreds, the heavenly part should be pushed to the third row or the hundred’s row and three earth beads to the similar row.
Moving on, the second number which is 25 should be added. The second number was computed by the two tens and then added with the 5 ones which were the remains on the second row of the heaven part. This number will be then split into 5 ones of different values. This brief example is just one method of using an abacus.
In using abacus the values of tens, ones, and hundreds are being utilized for easy reference. You should remember that abacus is a tool that challenges visualization in adding or subtracting and multiplying or dividing. The position and the value of each row may vary to meet with the bigger numbers that user will be dealing with.
Computing simple arithmetic with bigger values highlighted the reason behind the invention of abacus. And to add more drama about abacus as you used it, try to remember that you are using a two thousand year old computation tradition.
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