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When was the abacus developed?

Updated: 8/22/2023
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11y ago

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It is difficult to imagine counting without numbers, but there was a time when written numbers did not exist.

The earliest counting device was the human hand and its fingers.

Then, as larger quantities (larger than ten human-fingers could represent) were counted, various natural items like pebbles and twigs were used to help count.

Merchants who traded goods not only needed a way to count goods they bought and sold, but also to calculate the cost of those goods. Until numbers were invented, counting devices were used to make everyday calculations. The abacus is one of many counting devices invented to help count large numbers.

The more affluent people, could afford small wooden tables having raised borders that were filled with sand (usually coloured blue or green).

A benefit of these counting boards on tables, was that they could be moved without disturbing the calculation- the table could be picked up and carried indoors.

With the need for portable devices, wooden boards with grooves carved into the surface were then created and wooden markers (small discs) were used as place-holders. The wooden boards then gave way to even more more durable materials like marble and metal (bronze) used with stone or metal markers.

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9y ago
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8y ago

The abacus was invented around 2,700-2,300 BCE, by the Sumerians (Mesopotamia); that makes the invention about 4,400 years old.

This is the oldest dated abacus, there are several versions between 2,700 - 1,000 BCE, with many groups claiming responsibility for the invention.

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11y ago

YOU use the abacus so you can learn numbers and sometimes it can be fun. You can learn multiplication, addition, subtraction, square roots, and division. If there was not any electricity and you needed a calculator the abacus would be a big help. It could exercise your brain. You can also learn about other cultures.

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11y ago

The abacus was used for counting and helping children in mathematics.

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14y ago

An abacus could be viewed as a visual aid for performing basic math problems.

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11y ago

They where Gay and like Boys so they created abacus.

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14y ago

Probably because an abacus was used to perform calculations and a computer is basically a very impressive calculator.

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11y ago

before recorded history

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12y ago

It was mainly used like a calculator

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