Exposition
Technological Evolution
Abacus
(3000 BC) The word abacus possibly comes from the Greek abax, meaning counting board.
The abacus is considered to be the first device for performing arithmetic calculations. It was used by pre-Columbian, Mediterranean and Far Eastern civilizations. There are different types of abacus, including European, Russian, Chinese and Japanese abaci. Abaci are still used in small businesses in some Eastern countries today. An abacus consists of a wooden frame with beads threaded on parallel rods.
Each rod is equivalent to a digit in a positional numeral system (usually base 10). This is a Russian abacus operated using both hands. Each rod of the abacus is threaded with ten beads, representative of human fingers.
Consta de un marco de madera con varillas paralelas y unas cuentas insertadas en las mismas.
Cada varilla corresponde a un dígito en un sistema de numeración posicional, comúnmente en base 10. El ábaco que se muestra es la variante rusa, que se utiliza con ambas manos y contiene 10 cuentas en cada varilla, que representan los dedos de las manos.