The abacus originated in ancient China around 5000 BC and was the first personal calculator, using wooden boards and beads. It spread from China and evolved over thousands of years. The modern abacus consists of four decks combining the Japanese soroban abacus on top and the Chinese suan-pan on bottom. While less commonly used today, the abacus remains helpful for teaching math to young children and blind students through its tactile representation of numbers and calculations. It has been influential as one of the earliest counting tools for academics over its long history.

1. The Abacus “ Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” ~Albert Einstein A Presentation By Vladimir Suparto, Juliet Nelson, Ricky King, and Nicole Deschler

2. The First Abacus - Chinese The first version the “abacus” was developed by the *Chinese in about 5000 B.C as the very first “personal calculator” and served as a substitute to one’s hands and fingers. Seeing as it was built from wood and light beads, the convenience of this portable device was an extraordinary breakthrough for the world of scholars. The abacus was actually so successful that its use spread from China to many other neighboring countries and through thousands of years of evolution, is the modern day abacus we know of today. The abacus does not actually do the computing, as modern day calculators do. Rather it helps people keep track of numbers as they do the actual computing. * The academic world is split between the Chinese, or ancient Mesopotamians such as the Babylonians.

3. The Evolution of the Abacus The evolution of the abacus can be divided into three ages: Ancient Times , Middle Ages , and Modern Times . Ancient Time , this is from the period of c. 300 B.C to c. 500 A.D. This is during the Greek and Roman times of which the Salamis Tablet, Roman Calculi and Roman-hand Abacus were invented. Middle Ages , this is from the period of c. 5 A.D. to c. 1400 A.D. This is during this time that the Apices, the Coin-Board and the Line-Board were invented. The primary material that was used in manufacturing these counting boards was wood. This was the time were the use of written numbers as a counting device was popularized and the use of abacus was slowly losing its popularity in Europe.

4. The Evolution of the Abacus (cont). Modern Times , this is from period of c. 1200 A.D to the present. This is during this time that the Suan-pan , the Soroban and the Schoty were invented. The abacus that has been known today, its development can be traced from the Modern Times starting from circa 1200 A.D. in China. It is called suan-pan .

5. The Present Abacus Lee Kai-chen invented the “new” abacus which was composed of 4 decks. It combined two abaci, these are the ¼ abacus (soroban) which is placed on top and the 2/5 abacus (suan-pan) which is placed at the bottom. Soroban Suan-Pan

6. Modern Day Use of the Abacus Abacus is widely used in teaching young children. Young children are not fully aware of the number system and find it very difficult to solve arithmetical problems. They feel comfortable when they calculate using abacus. In the today's society children use abacus as their playing tool therefore when they are taught to solve problems on their playing toy they find it fun and learn eagerly. Abacus has also been proved beneficial for teaching blind children how to perform arithmetical functions. Its structure with the rods and beads on those rods help blind students to understand the process of calculations and allow them to calculate things themselves. Abacus is still considered worth teaching and even in these days some schools in Asia and North America teach their students how to perform calculations on the abacus

7. Conclusion The abacus although somewhat outdated, has been a stepping stone in the academic world as a tool that has evolved through thousands of years to assist with arithmetical problems, social dilemmas*, and although may not be as commonly used in higher education, is still being employed even in today’s modern day. * In aiding blind children learn mathematics