Aug 7, 20213 min read

How to properly use the Abacus

Introduction

The Abacus is an ancient mathematical tool that was used for centuries to solve math problems. It is also an excellent tool for teaching kids about the basics of mathematics. Today, the Abacus is making a comeback in schools and homes as a tool for teaching children how to count and solve problems. The Abacus is not just an ancient educational device, but it's also fun!

With the help of an abacus, one can quickly calculate numbers and perform simple calculations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

In this post, we're going to learn how to use an abacus. Specifically, the Japanese Abacus. It is called a soroban and is very similar to the Roman Abacus, consisting of a frame with beads sliding on rods.

How to properly use an abacus

How to hold the Abacus?

The Abacus must be held with the thumb and last two fingers of the left hand.

How to hold the pencil?

For Left-Handers: Hold the pencil in your left hand. It passes between your thumb and index finger and out of the ring and the last finger. Allow 2.5 cm of projection at the end of the pencil.

For Right Handers: Hold the pencil with the last three fingers of your right hand, index finger and thumb pointing out. Allow 2.5 cm of the pencil to project out of your hand.

How to Place the Abacus?

Before starting, the Abacus must be placed on the left-hand side of the table.

I. When working on the Abacus

Place Abacus 4 fingers away from the edge of the table
The unit point should be in alignment with your nose

II. When working out the book exercise,

Place abacus below the row which you are doing
The unit point should be placed below the sum which you are doing

How to Clear the Abacus?

When the sliders are not in position on the Abacus, we use the clearance method; use the right-hand index and thumb to hold the bar on both sides and sweep the sliders from right to left.

How to use Unit Pointer in Abacus?

Unit Pointer is a dot present on the Reckoning Bar.
Every third column is marked with these dots, and we call it a "unit rod".
It is considered that the right side of this unit rod is tenths (0.1), 100ths (0.01).
On the left, the rods correspond to tens (10), hundreds (100), and thousands (1000).

Simple Explanation: Rods to the right have a factor of 10 less value, and rods to the left have a factor of 10 more.

How to move the beads in the Abacus?

We usually use Four Fingers to manipulate the beads on the Abacus:

Right-Hand Thumb Finger

To move the earthly beads up

Right-hand Index Finger

To move the earthly beads down
To move the Heavenly beads up
To move the Heavenly beads down

Left-hand Index Finger

To move the earthly beads on Tens rod, Hundreds rod etc

Left-hand Middle Finger

To move the earthly beads up and down on the Tens rod, Hundreds rod etc.

The Abacus is an Effective Tool

Abaci has been used in schools for many years, and the fact that they're found in classrooms shows clearly just how important they are as a teaching aid.

Kids should be age 5-13 years when they start learning to use an abacus. Kids learn to use it by moving their fingers and counting up to ten; because of this, it's easy for them.

While performing maths problems, children don't have the same abstract process to perform beyond a ten-digit mental image. The Abacus provides a way to visualize numbers in a concrete way that is independent from the hands. This image is useful in teaching math as it can improve understanding of numbers beyond base 10.

Children grow so much between the ages of five and ten that they learn really quickly. Research has shown that their neuron activity during these years is also higher than at any other time in their lives. When we do simple calculations using an abacus, it stimulates the right side of our brain. The left side is also stimulated, which provides a logical and calculating approach to solving problems. Learning to do calculations with an abacus is a perfect idea because both sides of your brain will develop, and it will lead to many benefits, such as:

Developing speed in mental calculations while calculating mathematical operations.
Memorizing better,
imagery training,
mathematical comprehension training & increased confidence in understanding mathematical problem-solving.
Rapid calculation skills &
clearer memory of the reasoning behind specific thinking steps.