Delightful abacus competition in Japan - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2019, 02:04:06 pm
content: A nation where the children's education is still valued:https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/21/world/asia/japan-abacus.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_190822?campaign_id=2&instance_id=11595&segment_id=16373&user_id=10ca517e806ee8b2b6c2d219d309c7d0&regi_id=371077490822

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2019, 02:10:34 pm
content: Looks like a fun skill to learn:https://www.sliderulemuseum.com/Abaci/THE_ABACUS_HANDBOOK.pdfI might just get one. I have a bunch of Rubik's cubes (2x2, 3x3, 4x4) which are fun as well to solve and learn the algorithms, but after a while it gets repetitive and there is no practical use for it. I also tried to get my kids to play with them but they're not that interested. However, in case of the Zombie Apocalypse, if I have to do some calculations I would gain benefit from the Soroban!They are cheap, looks like my next hobby is to learn to use this thing and maybe my kids will like it and understand what is going on with the math a bit better:https://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-13-Column-Wooden-Abacus-Arithmetic-Soroban-Learning-Calculating-Tool/233248922799

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2019, 08:55:11 pm
content: In a Dover paperback guide for the soroban, the preface mentioned a one-on-one competition between the head guy of the Japan Post banking system (on soroban) and the chief accountant for MacArthur’s occupation army (on electromechanical calculator). Huge win for the soroban. One of my Japanese colleagues told me that he had learned in school how to extract a square root on the soroban, but had forgotten it.

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2019, 12:41:08 am
content: Ordered one of these for my kids... can't wait to teach my old brain new tricks:

author: tkamiya
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2019, 08:19:26 pm
content: I did this when I was in Japan many years ago. I made it to 3 kyu. I'm quite surprised the practice is still continuing. I have forgotten everything now.Please note, students on link are using 24 column soroban. Short ones available on eBay are primary for additions and subtractions only. Plus, how soroban is made is quite important. If the beads don't slide easily and STAY THERE, it would become almost impossible to use. We used to use special powder for that.... (looked like corn starch)Just for additional note:Modern Japanese soroban has 1 bead above the beam and 4 beads below. If you see 2 bead above, it's a Chinese version. If you see 5 beads below, and 1 bead above, it's an old Japanese style. Students were told if you use the 5th beads, your hand will rot!

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2019, 10:37:25 pm
content: OK, but do they make this competition gender-balanced?

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2019, 07:56:42 pm
content: Thanks to the OP who started this thread, I went out and purchased a cheap eBay soroban just to get familiar with it and introduce my kids to using it (otherwise they become brain-dead calculator users). It turns out the kids love this thing, they play with it and at least it makes math a bit more fun. They get surprised when they actually get the right answer and check it against their calculator! Here are a couple of quick videos I made starting off with it. Maybe as time goes on I'll invest in a better quality one, but this does the job for now and it was less than $5:... and ...NOTE: In the second video I did the right calculation but said the wrong number when I multiplied the 3x2 in the 100's columns of each number (I said 3x4 but what I meant was 3x2 and I did correctly place 6 on the soroban). Later I made a stupid mistake on paper when I added (6x7=42 + 5 = 47 but I wrote down 57) and it screwed up the whole thing. But the soroban did get it right.