Who Invented Abacus? Types and Uses

Answer: It is believed that the first abacus was made by Ancient Mesopotamians of Sumeria during the time 2700 and 2300 BC.

Abacus is a vital computing device used by students and professionals working in mathematical areas.This article gives a brief view of the abacus. In this article, we will discuss what is an abacus, the basic information like who invented it, what is the history of the abacus, what are its different types, and what works have been performed in this field. We will also look into some of the uses and achievements of Abacus.

What is Abacus?

Abacus is a device consisting of a frame with rows of wires consisting of beads. It is a hand-operated device used for calculation and is bound to have some human error. It can be used for performing calculations such as multiplication, addition, and division. Earlier operations like counting were performed on hands or using Vedic maths but larger operations require more calculations. Therefore there was a need for a development tool for such calculations. It was India’s first calculator used in Asia, Europe, and Russia.

Who Invented Abacus?

The basic need that led to the development of this device was the need to compute larger calculations. It is believed that the earliest invention of Abacus occurred in Sumeria by ancient Mesopotamians around 2700 to 2300 B.C.E. using a base 60 system, but the oldest known abacus is the Salamis Tablet in Greece in 300 B.C.E. Data shows that Old Babylonian scholars have used this abacus to do addition and subtraction. The Greeks used abacus in the 5^th century B.C. It can be described as having a wooden or marble frame consisting of metal counters. The Chinese abacus had more than 7 rods and generally consisted of an odd number of rods. The hard wooden beads are arranged in two parts namely the upper and the lower part, there were two beads in each rod in the upper part and five beads in each rod in the bottom parts. In the 1^st century AD, there were some advancements in the Roman Abacus like the addition of eight long grooves consisting of up to five beads and eight shorter grooves having no or one bead each. The abacus was widely used in Ancient India as well and has been mentioned in older manuscripts.

Types of Abacus

Abacus can be divided into the following types :

1. Suanpan Abacus: This is also known as Chinese abacus. It was one of the first abacus invented in 1200 C.E. The word ‘suanpan’ stands for calculating tray. The abacus consist of a vertical frame with one bead on the top deck and five beads on the bottom deck and calculations can be performed by moving the beads up and down in the beam.
2. Soroban Abacus: This was an abacus developed by Japan. It was a derivation from the Chinese ‘Suanpan’. It had a design consisting of one separate bead having a value of five, called go-dama and four beads each having a value of one known as ichi-dama. It consisted of a minimum of 7 rods. It is now being used worldwide because it has emerged as most powerful tool for teaching maths.
3. The Roman Abacus: This was developed by the ancient romans. It was the first portable calculating device but it was much less capable and could perform base-10 version of earlier abacuses. Nevertheless it was greatly used by merchants , tax-collectors and anyone who ha to perform basic calculations.
4. Sumerian Abacus: The sumerians were the first one to come up with a device for performing calculations. It had a very basic design consisting of a simple stone tablet or a flat surface, divided into five columns numbered 1s, 10s, 60s, 600s, and 3600s Since each bead had a value the addition was performed considering the value being added. Further developments were done in design by other countries as well.
5. Cranmer Abacus: It was invented by Terence V Cranmer. This was designed keeping in mind that it can be used by visually impaired people. It consist of a piece of rubber behind the beads, keeping them in place while the users manipulate them. It is a promising aid for students who want to learn but are reluctant because of their blindness. The whole design is same but the addition of soft fabric makes it special.

Uses of Abacus

Abacus is an exceptional device with exceptional uses like:

1. It is used as a mind development device for students of young age thereby it is taught as a subject in many schools.
2. It is a convenient way for performing mathematical calculations involving large numbers as well as basic calculations.
3. It is used as an introduction for kids into number system since it helps them learn how to manipulate numbers.
4. It enhance certain important skills like concentration, listening, memory, speed, accuracy, visual and photographic memory.

Achievements of Abacus

The abacus has achieved various milestones and even today used due to its ability for mind development. Here are some achievements of abacus:

• Abacus has been widely recognized in the field of mathematics due to its massive achievement and awards by organizations like UCMAS are being presented in this field.
• Various organizations like PAMA GLOBAL, ABACUS ASSOCIATION, IMU have been dedicated solely for development in this field.
• It has been scientifically proved to help students who suffer from dyslexia. Abacus improves their numerical skills where children learn through the sense of touching.
• Various Olympiads have been named for students who excel in abacus.

Drawbacks of Abacus

The following are some of the drawbacks of abacus:

• It becomes difficult to carry abacus everywhere for calculations.
• Sometimes the abacus is bound to give errors since it is a human operated device so we can’t depend on it completely.
• It takes a lot of time and effort to learn the concepts of abacus.
• It can’t perform other calculations like expansion, trigonometric expressions which can be solved using a calculator.

Conclusion

In summary it can be concluded that abacus, not only is a great device for calculation but also a great tool for mind development and focus in children. It is great to see such great calculations being solved efficiently using a tool. The recognition of abacus in various countries has been commendable and motivating due to which many organizations have been opened to educate the people about abacus. There are various courses offered online or in schools for learning abacus.

FAQs – Abacus

1. Who Invented Abacus?

No single person can be told who invented abacus , it was only a development occurring in various parts of globe. Some of the early inventors of abacus are Mesopotamians, salamis tablet by ancient Greek, Roman abacus by Romanians, Suanpan by people from China.

2. Who first Invented the Abacus?

It is believed that the first abacus was made by Ancient Mesopotamians of Sumeria . This invention was done during the time 2700 and 2300 BC. It was a very basic invention which did not look like today’s abacus being used.

3. Which Country used the Abacus first?

Though it can’t be stated clearly but the Ancient china is attributed for the early use of abacus. The Chinese abacus was known as the suanpan, it is believed to have been in use since at least the 2nd century BCE.

4. When was the Abacus first Invented?

The approximate timeline of abacus like instruments can be given and no specific date can be given. Sumeria , the calculator by Mesopotamians, has the earliest records during the time 2700 and 2300 BC.

5. What is the Full Form of the Abacus?

The full form of abacus is Abundant Beads, Addition, and Calculation Utility System.