The Abacus, an overview

What is an abacus? An abacus is an early counting device. Unlike a modern calculator, the person operating the abacus is actually performing the calculation and using the abacus to keep track of the sums. The abacus dates back to Ancient Times when merchants needed a way to keep track of goods that were bought and sold, and the abacus was one of the counting devices that were invented to keep tallies. The simplest abacus is known as a counting board. This is different from an abacus as the counting board was just that, a board made from wood or stone, with grooves or lines for pebbles to be moved along. The abacus is a device that has a frame and rods for the beads to slide on, which made it portable.

The History of the Abacus

The history of the abacus can been divided into three main periods of evolution, the Ancient Times, the Middle Ages, and the Modern Times.