Abacus

Abacus

Abacus is an ancient calculating tool used for basic arithmetic. It consists of beads or stones that slide on rods or in grooves, allowing quick mental calculation.
Abacus image
calculator arithmetic math

Abacus: Ancient Calculating Tool

Abacus is an ancient calculating tool used for basic arithmetic. It consists of beads or stones that slide on rods or in grooves, allowing quick mental calculation.

What is Abacus?

The abacus is one of the oldest known calculating devices, used for basic arithmetic operations. It typically consists of beads or stones that slide on rods or within grooves, allowing for easy manipulation and quick mental calculation. Each rod represents a place value, with the beads representing digits. By sliding the beads up or down, users can add, subtract, multiply and divide.

Abacuses have been used for thousands of years, originating in Asia and Africa. The device allows users to visualize mathematical concepts and number relationships. With practice, skilled practitioners can perform calculations as fast or even faster than a calculator. Modern abacuses are still used today, particularly in parts of Asia and Africa.

While basics abacuses can only do simple arithmetic, more complex variants exist as well. For example, Japanese soroban abacuses have additional beads and can more easily perform operations like square roots. Over centuries of use, the abacus has proven to be a reliable, useful and innovative calculating tool.

Abacus Features

Features

  1. Perform basic arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
  2. Represents numbers using beads or stones on rods or in grooves
  3. Allows for quick mental calculations
  4. Portable and easy to use
  5. Durable and long-lasting

Pricing

  • Free
  • One-time Purchase

Pros

Simple and intuitive to use

Effective for basic arithmetic tasks

Inexpensive and widely available

Helps develop mental math skills

Cons

Limited to basic arithmetic operations

Not suitable for complex calculations

Requires manual manipulation of beads or stones

May be less efficient than modern digital calculators for some tasks

Features

  1. Basic arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
  2. Compact and portable design
  3. Intuitive and easy to use
  4. Durable construction
  5. No need for electricity or batteries

Pricing

  • One-time Purchase

Pros

Effective for quick mental calculations

Affordable and accessible

Useful for teaching mathematical concepts

No risk of technical malfunctions

Cons

Limited functionality compared to modern calculators

Requires manual manipulation of beads or stones

May be less efficient for complex calculations

Requires some practice to master


The Best Abacus Alternatives

Top Office & Productivity and Accounting & Finance and other similar apps like Abacus


Windows Calculator icon

Windows Calculator

Windows Calculator is a basic calculator application included in all versions of Microsoft Windows. It provides standard calculator functions like basic arithmetic, percentages, square roots, etc. as well as scientific calculator functions.Some key features of Windows Calculator:Supports basic arithmetic like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and divisionHas dedicated keys for percentage, square...
Windows Calculator image
Google Calculator icon

Google Calculator

Google Calculator is a free web-based calculator offered by Google. It provides standard, scientific, and programmer calculator functionality for fast mathematical calculations and unit conversions right in your web browser.Some key features of Google Calculator include:Perform basic arithmetic like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and divisionDo scientific calculations such as trigonometric, logarithmic,...
Google Calculator image
Soulver icon

Soulver

Soulver is a smart calculator app developed by Acqualia Software. It allows you to enter mathematical equations and calculations in simple plaintext, without having to worry about proper syntax or order of operations.What makes Soulver unique is its natural language processing engine. You can type calculations like "What is the...
Soulver image
SpeedCrunch icon

SpeedCrunch

SpeedCrunch is an open-source, cross-platform desktop calculator that focuses on providing advanced mathematical functions in a simple, easy-to-use graphical interface. It is designed to be very lightweight and responsive while supporting a wide range of calculations.Some key features of SpeedCrunch include:Standard calculator functions - addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, percentages, memory,...
SpeedCrunch image
RealCalc Scientific Calculator icon

RealCalc Scientific Calculator

RealCalc Scientific Calculator is a powerful calculator app for Android. It offers a wide range of mathematical and scientific features beyond a basic calculator, allowing users to perform advanced calculations with ease.RealCalc provides functions for trigonometry, logarithms, exponentials, fractions, permutations, statistics and more. It has a clean, intuitive interface that...
RealCalc Scientific Calculator image
Numi icon

Numi

Numi is a feature-rich calculator application designed exclusively for Mac. It stands out with its aesthetically pleasing and highly functional interface.At its core, Numi provides the standard calculator functions you would expect - addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, percentages, memory keys etc. But it packs in a lot more advanced features...
Numi image
CalcTape icon

CalcTape

CalcTape is free and open-source spreadsheet software designed for basic personal and home use. It provides core spreadsheet functionality such as:Creating and formatting spreadsheetsEntering data and formulas for calculationsBuilding charts and pivot tables to visualize dataImporting/exporting CSV and Excel filesCalcTape has an intuitive and easy-to-use interface for those new to...
CalcTape image
Precise Calculator icon

Precise Calculator

Precise Calculator is a free calculator application designed for Windows to provide more accurate and precise calculations compared to the default Windows calculator. It offers a clean and easy-to-use interface that makes it simple to perform various mathematical equations.The app features two main modes - basic and scientific. The basic...
Precise Calculator image
Caligator icon

Caligator

Caligator is a free online calendar and scheduling application designed to help teams and individuals manage their time and collaborate more effectively. Some key features of Caligator include:Multiple calendar views - Switch between month, week, day to view your scheduleCalendar sharing - Share calendars with others by inviting them to...
Caligator image
Zoho Expense icon

Zoho Expense

Zoho Expense is a feature-rich cloud-based expense reporting and reimbursement solution designed for businesses of all sizes. It simplifies the entire expense management process by allowing employees to easily capture receipts, track business expenses, create expense reports, get approvals, and receive reimbursements quickly.Key features of Zoho Expense include:Mobile app to...
Zoho Expense image
Calcbot icon

Calcbot

Calcbot is an advanced calculator app developed for iOS devices including iPhones and iPads. It goes far beyond the basic functions of the built-in iOS calculator by providing a wide range of mathematical and scientific features.Key features of Calcbot include:Support for trigonometric functions like sine, cosine, tangent, inverse trig functions,...
Calcbot image
Qalculate! icon

Qalculate!

Qalculate! is a powerful and versatile desktop calculator application suitable for high school and college students, scientists, engineers, programmers, financial analysts and anyone who needs to make technical calculations. It is available for Linux, Windows and macOS.With Qalculate! you can calculate algebra, calculus, statistics, physics, chemistry, biology, electronics, programming and...
Qalculate! image
WellyBox icon

WellyBox

WellyBox is a monthly subscription service catering to children ages 3-7 years old. Each themed box contains 5-7 open-ended arts, crafts, activities and materials centered around open-ended creative play and learning.WellyBox takes a unique, process-focused approach by providing children with inspiring materials and gently-guided experiences without prescribing outcomes. This gives...
WellyBox image
Omni Calculator icon

Omni Calculator

Omni Calculator is a free online calculator and unit converter designed to cover a wide variety of topics across multiple fields including mathematics, physics, chemistry, finance, health, and more. It features an intuitive, easy-to-use interface that allows users to quickly perform complex calculations and conversions without needing to install additional...
Omni Calculator image
Tallie icon

Tallie

Tallie is a cloud-based software that aims to automate and simplify expense reporting for small and midsized businesses. Some key features of Tallie include:Automatic import of credit card transaction data from major card providers like Visa and Amex.Intuitive expense report creation with auto-categorization of expenses.Customizable approval workflows to route expense...
Tallie image
Birdly Expenses icon

Birdly Expenses

Birdly Expenses is an expense tracking and management solution designed specifically for small businesses. It provides an easy way for users to log any business expenses, categorize them for reporting, and track spending patterns over time.Key features of Birdly Expenses include:Simple interface to quickly add new expenses by date, vendor,...
TravelBank icon

TravelBank

TravelBank is a financial wellness platform designed to help companies provide tax-advantaged commute benefits to their employees. The key features and benefits of TravelBank include:Allows employees to set aside pre-tax dollars from their paycheck into a commuter benefits account. This helps reduce commute costs by up to 40%.Covers expenses for...
TravelBank image