What happen if I will remove all calculators, laptops and other electronics
gadgets from the world? It is difficult to imagine counting without these tools
but there was a time when even written numbers did not exist. If I talk about
counting device it was limited to human hands and fingers. Then when they moved
to larger quantities then various natural items like pebbles, rocks and twigs
were used. At that point of time trading was very difficult because the
merchants who traded goods not only require a way to count goods bought and
sold but also to calculate the cost of the same. Till the time numbers were
invented, counting devices were used to make everyday calculations. The Abacus is one of the counting devices invented to count large numbers.
It is really
important to distinguish the early abacus (abaci) known as counting board from
the modern abaci. The counting board is a piece of wood stone or any metal with
painted lines between which beads or metal discs were moved. The abacus is a
device, usually made of woods, having frame that holds rods with freely sliding
beads.
Even both the abacus
and the counting board are mechanical aids used for counting; they are not
calculators. The person who operates the abacus performs calculations in his
head and uses the abacus as a physical aid to keep track of numbers and carry.
In such a way abacus
was used for calculations so many years. As it is used by both hands and
calculations done mentally it becomes the most important tool for developing
brain strength in today’s world. With the help of abacus you can put gradually
pressure on your brain too.
