A Brief History of the Abacus

Before completing this activity, you must read "A Brief History of the Abacus" at http://www.ee.ryerson.ca:8080/~elf/abacus/history.html.

Please answer the questions to the best of your abilities. When you have answered all of the questions, a box will pop-up with your score.

Print this page. Write your Name on it and turn it in for a grade. Your grade will not be recorded unless you turn in this page.

What was the earliest counting device?
1. human hand
2. a pile of pebbles
3. a pile of twigs
What is a counting board?
1. a piece of wood, stone, or metal with carved grooves or painted lines between which beads, pebbles or metal discs were moved
2. a piece of wood that was written on with dirt or chalky rocks
3. a device having a frame that holds rods with freely-sliding beads mounted on them.
What was the purpose of the abacus?
1. to keep track of numbers when calculating in your head
2. to calculate large numbers
3. a child's toy
What sorts of calculations can the abacus be used for?
1. all of these
2. none of these
3. addition
4. subtraction
5. multiplication
6. division
What is the name of the "oldest surviving counting board"?
1. Salamis Tablet
2. Plutarch Tablet
3. Stylus Tablet
4. Athens Tablet
Where and when did today's abacus first appear?
1. 1200 AD in China
2. 1700 BC in China
3. 1200 AD in Rome
4. 1600 AD in Greece
5. 1700 BC in Rome
Who wrote the manual explaining the use of the 4-deck abacus? When was it published?
1. Lee Kai-Chen; 1958 AD
2. Lee Kai-Chen; 1929 AD
3. Lee Van-Lee; 1967 AD
4. Salamis Plutarch; 1200 AD
Which of the following is the Dilson Abacus?
Which of the following is the Lee Abacus?
Which of the following is the Tomoe Soroban Abacus?