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The counting board is the precursor of the
The counting board is the precursor of the abacus
An abacus ( abaci or abacuses), also called a counting frame, is a hand-operated calculating tool which was used from ancient times in the ancient Near East, Europe, China, and Russia, until the adoption of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system. A ...
, and the earliest known form of a counting device (excluding fingers and other very simple methods). Counting boards were made of stone or wood, and the counting was done on the board with beads, pebbles etc. Not many boards survive because of the perishable materials used in their construction, or the impossibility to identify the object as a counting board. The counting board was invented to facilitate and streamline numerical calculations in ancient civilizations. Its inception addressed the need for a practical tool to perform arithmetic operations efficiently. By using counters or tokens on a board with designated sections, people could easily keep track of quantities, trade, and financial transactions. This invention not only enhanced accuracy but also fueled the development of more sophisticated mathematical concepts and systems throughout history.
The counting board does not include a zero, as we have come to understand it today. It primarily used Roman numerals to calculate. The system was based on a base ten or base twenty system, where the lines represented the bases of ten or twenty, and the spaces representing base fives.
The oldest known counting board, the Salamis Tablet () was discovered on the Greek island of Salamis in 1899.William A. Goddard III, Donald Brenner, Sergey Edward Lyshevski, Gerald J Iafrate. It is thought to have been used as more of a gaming board than a calculating device. It is marble, about 150 x 75 x 4.5 cm, and is in the Epigraphical Museum in Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
. It has carved Greek letters and parallel grooves.
The German mathematician Adam Ries described the use of counting boards in .
See also
*Calculator
An electronic calculator is typically a portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics.
The first solid-state electronic calculator was created in the early 1960s. Pocket-si ...
* Reckoning board
References
Mathematical tools {{math-stub