QUESTION:

Today we take things like calculators and personal computers for granted. We rely on them to do all of our day-to-day mathematics; from the cash register at the local 7-11 to using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to do our personal and business budgets, we have relinquished the task of adding and subtracting to machines.

It was not always so. The first true calculator, the abacus, originated in China. Its stone-like beads were shifted along vertical strings, allowing the user to perform basic arithmetical operations with speed and accuracy.

When was the abacus invented?

A. In the early 1600s;
B. 1949;
C. During the sixth century BC;
D. About 5,000 years ago.

ANSWER:

C is absolutely correct. The first abacus has been dated to the sixth century BC and about 200 years after it was used by the Chinese, the abacus caught on in several Mediterranean civilizations.

The abacus is a mechanical aid used for counting; it is not a calculator in the sense we use the word today. The person operating the abacus performs calculations in their head and uses the abacus to keep track of the sums, the carries, etc.

Although the art of using an abacus (and it really is an art!) is slowly dying, it is still fascinating to watch someone truly skilled in flicking the little beads around the frame.