In such a case, these 5 beads are pushed down and one heaven bead is used to replace these earth beads. Also, In case of division, all the five beads on the lower deck were never pushed up. Division using the Chinese Suanpan abacusĭividing numbers using the Suan Pan abacus followed the basic steps of manipulation used commonly in all types of abacus, in the history. While multiplying using the Chinese abacus, you have to be extremely mindful of the place value. Step 9Īt this time, read the value of beads in the abacus. Following that, add 8 in the next column. Therefore, we add 50 and subtract 10 from the same column. Now follow the rule of multiplication mentioned above. Relax, we are going to break it down to you step by step. Remember the steps are as follows Multiply Now, we are about to multiply each number separately to get the final result. Thirdly, leave a column to avoid confusion, and set 48 in the next respective columns. Clear all the beads to their original places and away from the central beam. It has 3 beads in the lower deck of the tens column and zero beads in the ones column.ĭid You Know: The chinese Suanpan abacus can also be spelled as ‘Suan pan’ or ‘Souanpan.’īefore we start calculating, set the abacus to zero. Step 6įinally, read the value on the abacus. This means, you have made 10-3, which is equal to 7. Therefore, we take 10 from the tens column and subtract 3 from the ones column. It becomes impossible to add another 7, even if we use the upper deck beads. Thirdly, let’s add the next number, which is 7. Push 2 beads from the lower deck of the nearby (left) column towards the central beam. Secondly, push 3 beads from the lower deck towards the center. This is called ‘Setting Zero’ in the abacus. Addition Using Suanpan Abacusīefore we start calculating, set the abacus to zero. Whereas the earlier Suan Pan had a 2:5 design (2 heaven beads and 5 earth beads). In contrast, the Roman abacus used grooves.Īlso, the ancient Roman abacus had a 1:4 design(1 heaven bead and 4 earth beads). In conclusion, even though the number of beads was similar, the Chinese abacus used wires to connect beads. While there is no logical proof to demonstrate this, it might just be a coincidence. Experts believe this must be because of the trade relationship between China and Rome, that led to the influenced abacus design. In brief, the Roman and Chinese abaci coincidentally resemble each other much. Roman and Chinese Abacus – the Coincidence Abacus was not just reserved for children, back in those days.Ĭalculations using the Suanpan abacus were possible when there was a clear understanding of the place values. The Suan pan was quite famous for counting among the adults who handle business. Ancient Chinese called using the heavenly beads as ‘Extra Bead Technique’ or ‘Suspended Bead Technique’. To begin with, one had to use the heavenly bead whenever the calculation involved numbers more than 5. Secondly, the adjacent left one represents tens, hundreds, and so on. Place values were given from the rightmost column.įirstly, the rightmost column represents ones. In addition, the place values on the Suan pan were very similar to the Indian counting system. It facilitated 2 calculations being performed at once, using one device. The earlier Suanpan abacus had 23 columns in it. The Chinese abacus was pronounced as ‘Su-an-pan’, which meant ‘calculating tray’. In addition, the beads on the upper deck were called ‘Heaven beads’. Indeed, the beads on the lower deck were called the ‘Earth beads’ or ‘Water beads’. The top deck had 2 beads and the bottom deck had 5 beads. It had two decks and a separating beam in between them.

The device had a wooden frame with metal reinforcements. The design of the Suanpan abacus was simple. In 206 BC- 220 AD, prototypes of the Suanpan abacus were designed. It was an influenced version of the earlier versions, hence the inventor’s credits go to the ancient Chinese in general. Suanpan is the Chinese version of the abacus, invented in the 1200 C E, which was during the Ming dynasty. How do the Japanese and Chinese abacus differ?.

$ancient abacus$

Division using the Chinese Suanpan abacus.

Roman and Chinese Abacus – the Coincidence.

Did You Know: The Suanpan abacus is also called the 2:5 abacus or 2/5 abacus.

Ancient abacus