Have you ever wondered why the abacus is still being used today?

Across the broad spectrum of soroban types and methods, let us take a look at the reasons for the abacus success.

 

I'm the author of this article and I'm a qualified abacus teacher, answering questions from around the world online abacus and various questions from online-soroban.com students.

Table of contents

 

 

1. Why Abacus Is Used By Many People Globally

Do you know that the abacus is a calculator?

Also known as the soroban, this calculating tool has a rich history behind its origins.

There are many variations of this calculating device and there are many different ways to use it. However, the use of the soroban has drastically decreased.

Despite its fall, the soroban is still used by schools and parents to help with early childhood development.

Despite the decrease in demand, let us read to find out why this calculating device is still in demand.

 

1-1.Why Abacus Is Used - What Does Abacus Mean

Ranging from a time even before our grandparents were born, the soroban was found in different parts of the world.

This extremely renowned calculating tool is also known as the suan pan.

Around 1300B.C., the abacus was first found in China.

It’s usage increased during the Ming dynasty and eventually became the tool we use today.

During then, many other variations of the soroban is found.

Besides from the soroban and the suan pan, there are other variations such as the Roman abacuses, binary, Russian, and the Cranmer abacuses.

Of course, different techniques are used for different types of the soroban.

For instance, there are two beads on the upper deck of the suan pan whereas the soroban only has one bead on the upper deck.

Under different circumstances, two beads will be used in the suan pan.

This calculation device is created to help businessmen, traders, and scholars in the past to do maths. Not only that, this is one of the few inventions that did not go through extreme modification to become what it is today.

Furthermore, from the past till now, it does not need electricity to work.

This quirky and effective tool is still being used today for reasons more than one.

In this article, we will look read more about the reasons in detail and find out how we can learn mathematics with this device ourselves.

 

1-2.Why Abacus Is Used And Discovering The Purpose Of Mental Calculation

The soroban is a calculating tool. Without using batteries or electricity, how does it work?

Contrary to popular belief, not every device requires electricity to work.

When you use the soroban, each bead represent a value.

The four bottom beads represent the numbers one, two, three, and four. The top bead is represented by five.

In each column, the numbers run from five, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, millions, to billions.

This mean that any number can be found with this small yet mighty tool.

When we are able to master this calculating frame, the beads will move faster in our heads as compared to the physical frame we are using.

When you have achieved that calculating speed, you have successfully mastered how to do mental calculation.

 

1-3. Why Abacus Is Used For Students

Soroban has a simple purpose and that is to help students, businessmen, and teachers calculate maths quickly.

By using the soroban, students and learners will be able to increase the speed of their problem solving.

The beads on the soroban each represent a different number.

By using a series of movements along this calculating frame, students will be able to find answers.

The soroban helps users to visualise and compartmentalie numbers so that they are able to solve mathematics in a proper sequence.

By being organised, the number solving process is faster.

When you use the suan pan for a period of time, you will be so comfortable with the beads and its movements that you can even do it in your head.

Because you have used it over and over again, your brains remembers the process and the soroban’s system.

Even though we have the calculators and electronic devices, learning how to use soroban helps young children and students understand how maths work.

 

1-4.Why Abacus Is Used For The Elderly

Not only is the soroban suitable for young children and students learning maths, this tool can be used to help the elderly too!

The use of the suan pan can help the elderly with their brain health.

Using the soroban will require the older generation to use their brain for critical thinking and problem solving.

By doing so, they will improve their memory, improve reflexes, and also their hand eye coordination.

Even though the usage of soroban is decreasing today, there are other uses for this wonderful tool too.

Besides acting as a useful foundation to teach young children about arithmetic, it is also used to improve the brain health of many.

 

 

2. Why Abacus Is Used And How Does It Benefit Us

Learning how to use the abacus comes in many benefits.

Besides being a great tool that will help later in life, it is also a tool that will provide much convenience to users.

For instance, learning how to do the abacus will help you with your daily grocery shopping trips.

It also helps you to calculate your monthly bills, income taxes, and more!

 

2-1.Why Abacus Is Used By Many Schools

Despite the covid19 pandemic, it is still possible to learn how to pick up a new skill.

Now with online classes available, you will be able to learn how to do your first addition with the soroban.

Eventually, you will be a master in mental calculation in no time.

 

Overall  
Despite not being commonly used in society in today’s day and age, the soroban is now becoming an educational tool to help teach students the fundamentals of mathematics.

Not only is it useful for students to learn mental calculation, it is also useful for those that are of the aging population.

If you want to learn how to solve big numbers in seconds, learning how to use the soroban for mental calculation will help you reach your goal

 

 

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