Computing

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Chapter 8

The Abacus

8.1 THE EARLIEST ABACI

Abacus (plural: abaci or abacuses) is a Latin word that came from the

Greek word abax or abakon, meaning “table” or “tablet,” and possibly

from the Hebrew word abaq, meaning “dust” or “sand.” e abacus in

its various forms is a calculating tool invented by ancient civilizations.

e simplest of these tools, called a counting board or abacus, may have

initially been made with lines drawn in the sand and pebbles placed

between or on the lines as counters.

If we search the archeological record, however, we can nd direct

written evidence and clay artifacts related to the earliest known abaci

from Mesopotam ...