Abacus is an ancient mathematical instrument used for calculation. The origin of abacus is still debatable. Most of the historians say that the period 2700-2300 BC saw the first appearance of the Sumerian abacus, a table of successive columns which delimited the successive orders of magnitude of their sexagesimal number system.
Some scholars point to a character from the Babylonian cuneiform which may have been derived from a representation of the abacus. It is the belief of Carruccio (and other Old Babylonian scholars) that Old Babylonians “may have used the abacus for the operations of addition and subtraction; however, this primitive device proved difficult to use for more complex calculations”.
Abacus is a Latin word that has its origins in the Greek words abax or abakon (meaning “table” or “tablet”) which in turn, possibly originated from the Semitic word abq, meaning “sand”.
Why does the abacus exist?
It is difficult to imagine counting without numbers, but there was a time when written numbers did not exist. The earliest counting device was the human hand and its fingers. Then, as larger quantities (larger than ten human-fingers could represent) were counted, various natural items like pebbles and twigs were used to help count. Merchants who traded goods not only needed a way to count goods they bought and sold, but also to calculate the cost of those goods. Until numbers were invented, counting devices were used to make everyday calculations. The abacus is one of many counting devices invented to help count large numbers.
So, the original types of Abacus were stones with dust covering them and a stylus (a sharp, pointed instruments used for writing, marking or engraving) used for marking numbers. Later this evolved into a slate with groves where rocks or other counters would be placed to mark numbers and then it finally evolved into a framed device with beads sliding along bamboo rods.
Abacus became more popular in South East Asian countries like China, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia and others. Abacus is also a compulsory component of these countries’ education system.
Abacus is also the first man made computer.
In a voting campaign conducted by Forbes.com, where its readers, editors and a panel of experts ranked the Abacus as the 2nd most important tool of all time, in terms of its impact on human civilization.
The 20 Most Important Tools
(listed by www.forbes.com)
