How Does Abacus Tutorial: 1 Basic function Work?

An abacus is like having a special counting tool that helps you add and subtract by moving beads back and forth on rods.

Imagine you have 10 fingers, when you want to count something, you use them. Now imagine the abacus has little beads, and instead of using your fingers, you move those beads to count things. Each bead represents a number, so moving one bead from one side to another is like saying “I added this.”

On an abacus, there are rods with beads on both sides. The beads on the top are worth 5, and the ones below are worth 1.

• When you want to count 7, you move one top bead (worth 5) and two bottom beads (each worth 1).
• That’s like having a piggy bank where you put in coins: five big coins and two small ones, and together they make seven.

If you want to add numbers, you move more beads. If you subtract, you take some beads back. It's just like when you share your toys, if you give one away, you have fewer; if someone gives you a toy, you have more.

So the abacus is like having a super-powered counting tool that helps you do math by moving beads, just like how you count with your fingers!