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Article: Building and Using the Amazing Abacus. (A Teacher's Journal).
- Article from:
- Teaching Children Mathematics
- Article date:
- December 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The abacus has been used for centuries in Asia and is still an essential part of education and commerce in many Asian countries. Abacus is a Latin word that comes from the Greek abax, meaning "table," and possibly from the Hebrew abaq, which means "dust." Long ago, calculations were done by writing in sand or dust sprinkled on a table or by manipulating stones on a table. A counting stone was called a calculus, from which the word calculate originates. The abacus as we know it today-a frame with beads that slide on rods-is a Chinese invention that dates to at least the thirteenth century. The Chinese term for the device is suan pan, which means "calculating board," and ...