Intro to the Abacus

**By: Tao Steven Zheng (郑涛)**

## **Power of the abacus**

There is a growing epidemic of **dyscalculia** among today’s youth. The
over-reliance of electronic calculators has led many to add and subtract
slowly, forget their multiplication table, and fail to search for divisible
factors. The abacus is an ancient computation tool that can remedy this modern malaise.
How? Well, the abacus is just a tool that speeds up computation, but the
computation is still done by the human brain. It trains the brain to think
faster and more strategically. It internalizes the **decimal number system**. It requires the user to memorize the
multiplication table, and the factors of a given integer.

Abacuses have been invented by several
cultures around the globe; at different times. Many early abacuses were
counting boards where people performed computations by placing and moving pebbles
around. However in this series, I will focus on the two main abacuses still use
today: the Chinese **suan pan**, and the
Japanese **soroban**.

## **The Suan Pan and the Soroban**

The suan pan or Chinese abacus contains
two decks. The upper deck contains two beads in each column, while the lower
deck contains five beads in each column. The frame of a Chinese abacus is
usually made of wood, and bound by some metal plates for reinforcements on each
corner. Bamboo rods are fitted throughout the abacus to secure the beads.

The term **suan pan** (Chinese abacus)
existed since the Han dynasty over 2000 years ago. It is uncertain if early
Chinese abacuses looked like the ones today. The Chinese abacuses that we see
today were definitely used since the Song dynasty about 1000 years ago, and
were commonplace by the Ming dynasty around 500 years ago. By the Ming dynasty,
there were also suan pan designed with one bead on top, and five beads on the
bottom.

Similar to the Chinese abacus the soroban,
or Japanese abacus, also contains two decks. However, there is only one bead in
the top deck per column, and four beads in the bottom deck per column. The
shape of the soroban beads are typically diamond-shaped. Traditionally, the
soroban is made of wood and bamboo, but it is now common to see plastic soroban
in stores.

The soroban is derived from the Chinese abacus, and has greatly
evolved in the late 19th and early 20th century. The
original soroban was imported from Ming China over 500 years ago with one bead
on top and five beads on the bottom. The shift to a purely base ten currency
led to reducing the lower deck to only four beads (the Chinese were using a
base sixteen currency). In the modern era, a reset button was introduced for
convenience. Now let’s move onto the advantages of both abacuses.

What are the advantages of the Suan Pan?

-  **Simpler** arithmetic algorithms when using the **extra beads**

-  Capable of computing in base 16 (hexadecimal system)

-  Capable of computing in base 2 (binary system)

-  The suan pan is great for exposing kids to base 2 and base 16 in the **information age**

What are the advantages of the Soroban?

-  The more **compact design** with smaller beads makes the soroban faster than the
suan pan

-  Many soroban comes with a **mechanical reset button** for swift clearing

-  The common diamond-shaped beads are arguably more **ergonomic**

## **Benefits of the abacus**

Why learn the abacus? The abacus makes life easier with or without the actual
abacus in hand. From a cognitive perspective the abacus enhances
the understanding of the **decimal place-value system,** helps youmaster
arithmetic **effectively and efficiently,** calculate strategically with
greater speed and accuracy.

Children exposed to the abacus are given many advantages when
learning school mathematics. They live with the decimal place-value system, and
see how addition and subtraction are linked. This is very useful in a world
that measures everything in base-ten, from weights to distances to currency.
When learning how to multiply and divide numbers on the abacus, the user must memorize
the multiplication table. The memorization of the decimal value of basic
fractions is also mandatory. Manipulating the beads of an abacus takes time and
deliberate practice to master. With enough practice, the proficient abacus user
can move the beads and perform computations swiftly. For these reasons, the
abacus improves memory, builds number sense, improve reflexes, and help
children make estimates very well.