How Do You Use A Chinese Abacus?
While the first documentation of a Chinese Abacus has been dated around the 14th century, some form of the abacus or counting rods have appeared in history as early as 2700 BC in ancient Sumaria. Mentioned in ancient Roman texts, as well as among Egyptian hieroglyphics and Greek artifacts dated as early as 300 BC, the abacus has survived the centuries with its purpose intact. It is basically a tool for counting and performing basic arithmetic. Most often constructed of a wood frame with beads sliding on wire or wooden pegs, the abacus is still used today in many cultures. An abacus is divided into two parts by a long divider that stretchs horizontally across the frame. Above this divider is “Heaven” where two beads reside on each vertical peg. Each bead in “Heaven” represents a count of five units.Below the divider resides “Earth” where 5 beads reside on each vertical peg. Each bead represents one unit.Division also occurs vertically on the abacus. Each vertical peg represents a numeri
