 What is the Abacus
History of the Japanese abacus
Chinese vs Japenese Abacus
 What is an abacus
It is a Latin word, derived from the Greek word ABAX which means a calculating table.
As per Wikipedia
The abacus, also called a counting frame, is a calculating tool used
primarily in parts of Asia for performing arithmetic processes. Today,
abacuses are often constructed as a bamboo frame with beads sliding on
wires, but originally they were beans or stones moved in grooves in
sand or on tablets of wood, stone, or metal. The abacus was in use
centuries before the adoption of the written modern numeral system and
is still widely used by merchants, traders and clerks in Asia, Africa,
and elsewhere.
At CLC we use the Japanese Abacus with one bead at the top
having a value of 5 and 4 units beads at the bottom, each having a
value of 1.
In Japanese, the abacus is called soroban (算盤, そろばん, lit. "Counting
tray"), imported from China around 1600.[19] The 1/4 abacus appeared
circa 1930, and it is preferred and still manufactured in Japan today
even with the proliferation, practicality, and affordability of pocket
electronic calculators. The use of the soroban is still taught in
Japanese primary schools as a part of mathematics.
History of the Japanese Abacus
Soroban (Japanese Abacus)( http://app.st/shuzan/english/history/history.html)
A little past the middle of the fifteenth century, the Chinese abacus
and its operational technique were introduced to Japan. Shortly
afterward, Japan entered a long period of peace, which fostered the
development of her cities and commerce. Mathematicians' constant and
diligent study developed a distinct Japanese method of the soroban
operation different from the original Chinese method. The large-sized
Chinese abacus was improved into a handier smaller-sized one. Towards
the end of the nineteenth century, the soroban with one five-unit
counter and four one-unit counters on each rod came into use along with
the older type which had one five-unit counter and five one- unit
counters on each rod. In 1938, the technique of the soroban operation
was included in the national grade-school textbooks on arithmetic
compiled by the Education Ministry. Today, the soroban technique is a
required study in the third and upper grades. The soroban with one
five-unit counter and four one-unit counters on each rod is the
standard nowadays. It should also be noted that the older Chinese
division method, which makes use of the cumbersome division table, was
formerly replaced by the Japanese division method, which makes use of
the multiplication table. The inclusion of the soroban technique in the
curriculum of Japanese compulsory education and the enforcement of the
soroban efficiency tests system since its inception in 1928 have been
the two major factors which have led to the present popularity of
soroban in Japan.
Chinese Abacus VS Japanese Abacus
Chinese Abacus( http://app.st/shuzan/english/history/history.html)
In China, the abacus came into common use during the Ming Dynasty. A
book titled Ch' o Ching Lu gives this proverbial expression: “A
servant, some time after he is hired, comes to do nothing more than he
is ordered to. Therefore, he is like an abacus counter.” A book written
by Wu Ching-Hsin-Min in 1450 gives descriptions of the abacus. A large
number of books published towards the end of the Ming Dynasty attest to
the fact that the abacus had come into popular use. The abacus then had
two counters above the bar and five below. This type of abacus is still
being used in China these days.
|
