The '''abacus''' (pl. ''abacuses'' or ''abaci'') is a digital calculation tool that was used to perform [[mathematical]] calculation especially for [[accounting|accountancy]] in [[medieval]] times. It represents numbers with beads sliding on a rod. With it, the user can [[add]], [[subtract]], [[multiply]], [[divide]], and extract [[square root]]s. Even though it is obsolete it is still widely used in [[Asia]], particularly in the [[People's Republic of China]] and the [[Republic of China]], where a skilled operator can calculate as rapidly as a person using a modern electronic calculator. | The '''abacus''' (pl. ''abacuses'' or ''abaci'') is a digital calculation tool that was used to perform [[mathematical]] calculation especially for [[accounting|accountancy]] in [[medieval]] times. It represents numbers with beads sliding on a rod. With it, the user can [[add]], [[subtract]], [[multiply]], [[divide]], and extract [[square root]]s. Even though it is obsolete it is still widely used in [[Asia]], particularly in the [[People's Republic of China]] and the [[Republic of China]], where a skilled operator can calculate as rapidly as a person using a modern electronic calculator. |