The abacus - the oldest arithmetic tool in the world

The abacus is also known to many under the name of a calculating frame. The principle is simple. There are 10 balls each on 10 parallel lines. With a little practice, arithmetic problems with plus and minus can be done in no time at all. At the same time, the abacus trains the understanding of our decimal system. For children it offers great access to the world of mathematics. Whoever has mastered the abacus moves elegantly through the number space.

The abacus - history and origin

The oldest finds of an abacus can be traced back to the year 2,300 to 2,700 BC. Backdate. At that time it was still based on the Summerer sexagesimal system. It wasn't until 2,000 BC. The first arithmetic frames with a decimal system appear among the Babylonians. From then on, the triumphant advance of the arithmetic aid continued all over the world and soon traders, merchants and mathematicians were calculating with high numbers in no time at all.

How do you calculate with the abacus?

Using the arithmetic framework is child's play. The first row shows the numbers from 1 to 10. If you calculate 7 + 5, for example, you first count 7 balls on the bottom row. Then you count 5 more balls. When the row is full, you push back all the balls in the row and instead move one ball from the next row to the right. Then you count on to the 5 and you end up with 2 balls on the bottom row and one on the second row. That's a 12. 7 + 5 = 12. In this way, it is very easy to calculate very high numbers.

Is the abacus still up to date?

The abacus still helps to learn to count, especially with young students. Moving the balls makes the numerical value clear and helps to understand the relationships between plus and minus calculations.

You can order a high-quality abacus for your child in the Natureich shop. Manufactured according to our high quality standards and from high-quality raw materials, it will serve your children faithfully for many years.