SubscribeBookkeeping With Abacus
Imagine Bookkeeping with an abacus?
For many people the abacus is a very slow calculator – yet to others, using an abacus is quicker than using a pocket calculator. For a large Swedish flat-pack homewares store, the abacus is merely a children’s toy
Whilst visiting China almost twenty years ago, we experienced a totally ironic sight.
In a department store the chinese were selling pocket calculators across the counter.
When a customer went to make a purchase, the shop staff would grab the abacus to calculate the transaction!
Imagine that: selling a pocket calculator and using an abacus to conduct the transaction!!
It seems that the abacus has been around for at least 2000 years.
Possibly originating in China or Babylon, the abacus was common in the Roman empire.
As mentioned, the abacus is still very much in evidence in China, as well as Japan (as the Soroban), and even Russia (the schoty).
