Where did abacus come from?

Another form, common today, has the counters strung on wires. The abacus, generally in the form of a large calculating board, was in universal use in Europe in the Middle Ages, as well as in the Arab world and in Asia. It reached Japan in the 16th century.

Who invented the abacus calculator?

As the most ancient calculator known, the origin and inventor of the abacus is unknown. It’s been used for centuries in China and has a long history of use in Ancient Greece, Rome, Russia Japan, and Babylon. The name is of Greek origin. Abax means “flat surface” in Ancient Greek. It was taken by the Romans and became abacus in Latin.

Are abacus calculators still used today?

But their history stretches back more than 2500 years to the abacus: a simple calculator made from beads and wires, which is still used in some parts of the world today. The difference between an ancient abacus and a modern computer seems vast, but the principle—making repeated calculations more quickly than the human brain—is exactly the same.