Soroban

The Soroban is a Japanese abacus, a calculating tool that has been used for centuries. It is derived from the Chinese suanpan and played a significant role in education and commerce in Japan. While electronic calculators are now common, the soroban remains a popular educational tool for teaching mathematics and enhancing mental calculation skills.

The soroban consists of an odd number of columns or rods, each representing a place value (ones, tens, hundreds, etc.). Each rod is divided into two sections: an upper deck containing one bead per rod, representing a value of five, and a lower deck containing four beads per rod, each representing a value of one. Calculations are performed by moving the beads up or down towards a horizontal beam, known as the reckoning bar, that bisects the frame. Beads touching the bar are counted towards the value.

The soroban’s design allows for efficient addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, as well as more advanced mathematical functions like square root extraction. Skilled users can perform calculations quickly and accurately, often surpassing the speed of electronic calculators for simple arithmetic. Its tactile nature is believed to improve understanding of number concepts and enhance cognitive abilities such as concentration and memory. The soroban is still taught in many schools in Japan and other parts of the world as a way to improve mental math skills.