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Abacus[]

Noun

Definition[]

  1. A very old type of calculator, which uses beads on a rod to count. The abacus is one of the oldest types of counting system ever.

Other Information[]

Who invented the abacus?[]

There have been many different variations on abacuses for thousands of years, but the modern day abacus comes from China, in around 1600 AD[1].

The original abacus (Etymology)[]

The original abacus was actually just a board of sand which people could write numbers and calculations on[2]. This shows the importance of Etymology: the word "abacus" only became used in the context of counting frame as recently as the 17th Century.

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