Count Me In Too

Chinese Abacus

Purpose

The Chinese abacus closely models the use of finger patterns for addition and subtraction. Each of the beads above the bar corresponds to one "hand", and has a value of five. Each of the beads below the bar is the same as a `finger' and corresponds to one. Numbers are made by moving the beads to the bar. Each column represents a digit in a number. Try counting to twenty on the abacus, remembering to exchange each group of five ones for one five.

 


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