Q:
Who invented the abacus?
A:
Quick Answer
Although it is unknown precisely who invented the abacus, the device was developed in China around 3000 B.C. It is highly compact and easy to use and forms the basis for modern calculators and computers.
Continue ReadingFull Answer
There are many predecessors to the abacus, including containers of pebbles used as early as the Stone Age and clay boards with sliding grooves used in the Tigress-Euphrates Valley. Through cultural exchange and diffusion, these ideas spread around the world, eventually resulting in the Chinese abacus. The abacus is still used in many countries around the world. As late as 1946, a competition between an abacus and an electronic computer was won by the abacus.
Learn more about InventionsSources:
Related Questions
-
Q:
When was the compass invented?
A: Evidence suggests that the magnetic compass was invented in China between 221 and 206 B.C. The earliest compasses were not used for navigation, but for for... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
Who invented the first calculator?
A: Excluding the abacus or slide rule, the first mechanical calculator was invented by French inventor, Blaise Pascal in 1642. It could add or subtract two nu... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What was the first calculating device?
A: The oldest known calculating device is the abacus, which is believed to have been invented and in use in Babylonia (now Iraq) about 5,000 years ago. The ab... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
Where did the abacus come from?
A: The abacus was invented by Chinese mathematicians approximately 5,000 years ago. The abacus is occasionally hailed as the world's first computer, but the a... Full Answer >Filed Under:
