Abacus (Soroban) - Abacus

Japanese: そろばん(算盤) - そろばん

A abacus is an instrument that uses beads to perform calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, square root, and square root (Figure). The boards and paper on which the calculating sticks used in Tengenshu are placed are also written with the same kanji character, "abacus," but this is pronounced "sanban" (more on the Chinese abacus later). The method of using beads to represent numbers and perform calculations has existed in the West for a long time, too, and is called abacus. In ancient Greece, there was a method of calculation by arranging stones, and a marble slab discovered on the island of Salamis in the Aegean Sea was 1.49m long, 0.75m wide, and 4.5-7.5cm thick, with 6 and 11 parallel lines engraved on its front, and is estimated to be more than 2,000 years old.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

珠を使って加減乗除，開平開立などの計算を行う器具をいう(図)。天元術で用いる算木を置く板や紙なども同じ〈算盤〉の漢字で表すが，これは〈さんばん〉と読む(中国の算盤については後出)。珠を使って数を表したり計算をする方法は西洋でも古くからあり，アバクスabacusと呼ばれている。古代ギリシアでは石を並べて計算する方法があり，エーゲ海のサラミス島で発見された大理石の盤は，長さ1.49m，幅0.75m，厚さ4.5～7.5cmで，表に6本と11本の平行線が刻まれており，今から2000年以上前のものと推定されている。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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