How To Use An Abacus 

I’m about take a placement test and they said no calculators, I’m gonna bring a mf abacus

It's not useless, those who become very skilled at the abacus can do difficult math in their mind, it becomes like a physical skill that you can perform mentally like riding a bike.

There's always an abacus in children's school rooms but noone knows how to use them. You blew me away!!

I am completely blind, and used this tool all through college!

The benefit of the abacus in today's age is if you get really good at using it, you can visualize it and get accurate calculations for just about anything fairly quickly. I know a girl whose parents forced her to use an abacus on homework growing up and she's in her 20s now but can spit out an accurate answer for anything you throw at her because she uses a combination of mental math and mentally visualizing an abacus. She's crazy fast too.

It is not completely useless. It teaches you to think, keeps one’s mind active.

I wouldn't call it useless; it's a pretty good method to learn arithmetic for visual learners. Really good video btw :)

I’m 39 and I had no idea how to use this. Thank you for informing me, I will now file it in my brain in the “useless info I’ll never use” folder

Did I see you push 2 beads over when multiplying 21 x 7 but still come up with correct answer

Great. I remember learning with them as a kid but forgot how it works lol. Now I plan to homeschool and think I definitely will be incorporating an abacus

I knew that you could use them for addition and subtraction but I had no idea you could use it for multiplication, division and roots. Genius.

You dismiss how valuable learning the abacus is. In the West we learn to memorise our times tables for future use in mental arithmetic (which is much faster than a calculator: you can probably give me the answer to 8x5 long before anyone could even type the 8). When you master the abacus you can do very complex sums mentally by imagining and ‘feeling’ the abacus in your mind - you may often see people playing with their fingers as if they have a physical abacus in front of them. Now of course we all have calculators at our fingertips these days but if you know the abacus you could answer 659x 326 before someone has even grabbed their phone and opened the calculator app! Then we can also do powers and roots etc mentally too! So it’s not a silly redundant device- it’s an invaluable skill that will inherently make your mind faster and sharper and ultimately make you a more intelligent person!

It's not useless. When i saw a cute one at Ikea i got it to teach my kids how to add and subtract. I didn't know you used every row as a value holder. I wasn't taught how to use one. So, now I'll teach my kids the correct way. 😄

you explained it well, except for the multiplying with 2 digits I noticed you slid 2 of the top ones over instead of 1 at a time. You forgot to slide one in the beginning to include the 21 that was already at the bottom.

Still using my 4th grade (memorized by flash cards and rote) multiplication tables, and 65 years later this has never failed. A return to this teaching method would benefit the public school system.

I read a lot of medieval themed books and everytime a character uses an abacus I always wondered what the process was so thanks for the tutorial

why am i learning abacus at 2am

I used to think this is the most complicated thing in the world when I was a kid :) Now after 15 years to see how simple they are

I found several very good and advanced reasons an abacus is not only useful but highly practical for everyday life, over a digital calculator: 1: Digital calculators can screw up long addition chains if you push one wrong button, or the buttons themselves do not always respond when pushed. They also rely on memory and a battery or a power source of some kind and sometimes shut off on their own. An abacus is more reliable than a calculator since it does not come with the added problems and risks of a digital device. 2: I have autism and ADHD, I have trouble with short-term memory and executive function. As a visual and hands-on learner, it's easier to count with some sort of clear visual to work with, like, a multicolored abacus. If I forget where I last counted, I can look at the abacus and see where I'm at. It also engages muscle memory from repetition. As the guy in the video demonstrates, once you get into an established flow, counting starts to be done unconsciously, which allows for fast and efficient processing of numbers. 3: It has career functions. I do inventory logging and simple accounting as a merchant. I have to keep track of hundreds of items and make sure I don't get the numbers muddled. Since most people can't always rely on memory, it's easy to make errors since you're not entirely sure of the steps you've taken. An abacus doesn't require a memory, it's a memory card of sorts for the math you "entered" into it by moving the beads. If you understand where you put the beads, you know what you just entered. Again, very useful for someone with short-term memory issues like me. 4: In a world that seems to be dominated by tech and as someone who has run afoul of the flaws in online and digital technology, it's nice to have the old devices and old knowledge. At least I know I will not be rendered helpless if the tech industry implodes due to corruption of interest and monopolization. 5: I'm a medieval enthusiast and a fantasy writer. I love this stuff. It gives me access to two ways of life and a creative way to explore different solutions to problems. It also allows me to create detailed and interesting writing by mastering the nuts and bolts of life from a bygone era.

"We are gonna learn a useless skill" Later "This is fancy"

Great video Eddy. When I was a middle-schooler in Egypt I remember abacuses were used as a primary form of solving problems, with calculators being used only to verify your answers afterward. The equipment is obviously outdated but I'd argue an abacus is still a powerful tool for building one's mental arithmetic skills.

this is one of those things that were always at the back of my mind to one day learn, but i never really remembered of doing so. pretty fun and more like a curiosity than anything useful, but still... worth the time.

This is fantastic! Thank you! I bought this EXACT abacus yesterday from a charity shop - £2!! ...For my nephew who loves numbers. I came to youtube to learn how to use it, so I can reach him, and your video came up. I clicked because it was the same abacus as mine - I thought "what are the chances" 😄 I stuck around because the explanation was great! I'll need to watch again to grasp it. But it was great. Thank you!!

Thanks for the basic tutorial, I knew how to add using an abacus as that is straightforward even though I've never actually used one however, I wasn't sure how you do other mathematics on them. Cheers from Australia.

Old concept will always be relevant regardless of advancing technology. Love this video and learn the abacus 🧮 techniques

I can use this when the teachers say no calculators allowed. One of the most useful tutorials in my life. You should watch too

This is a great video - it's the first one I've seen explaining multiplication and division on the abacus that I could really follow. I have always been fascinated by the abacus - I just think they are so cool. I love learning how to use them.

Thank you. This is definitively the best 7 minutes i wasted today! No Sarcasm, I really loved it!

Being locked down & trying improve the kids math whilst Homeschooling. Brilliant explanation & very helpful.

Why is this not taught in schools? I’ll teach my son how to use one

Brilliant. You made it so easy to understand. Got the idea in a few watches. Now I’m going to practice until I’m fast and accurate. That’s going to take longer. Thank you so much.

Your video is so helpful and much easier to watch than the other ones. Straight to the point and engaging. I need to know this as this works for students with Visual Impairments.

7:11 It's not useless! It's completely functional. My husband got it for our kids but I ended up liking it. I looked it up. The sumerians used it!

This rudimentary system came into use about 2000 years ago and formed the basis for digital computing. How long did it take you to master, Ed? Thank you for the video.

I'm only here because my 3 year old wanted to spend her birthday money on one of these and after she fell asleep I wanted to learn how to use it lol. Thanks for the video

Learned to use an Abacus when I was little, but totally forgot “How”, so popped onto YT to relearn (Math is my Nemesis), so glad I found Your video! You make it seem so easy, and I can’t wait to do some calculations of my own...Thanks for Sharing & Teaching..

I thought it was just for counting and never thought i can do divisions with it!

I have finals. I really need to go back to studying.

This is by far the best video on all things abacus. Thank you!

Thank you so much. I needed the info to reteach my grandchildren how to look at numbers and math. You are a God send

Loved your explanation and so did the kids ;-) Presentations need to be a bit entertaining to get the kids interested. They liked your zombie scenario.

Thank god someone takes serious the preparation for the zombie 🧟‍♀️ apocalypse

I am mathematically challenged, but this was interesting. I've been thinking of buying an abacus for my granddaughter, who's about to turn 1. I figure it will be fun to play super simple math games with her and we can increase the complexity when she's older.

Not at all useless, it gives you a better understanding of what numbers are and how they work. Excellent explanation!

for me has always been a mistery how it worked... i has one but never unterstood it... so now im happy starting 2017 one less problem and one more lesson taken

I bought one for my son for x-mas, thought I should know how to use it in case he asks though at 8 months old that may be a while. Great video!

This is awesome! Loved the explanation, and learned something too... Now my son's abacus is a fun learning tool, not just a thing with pretty colours that makes a lot of noise when he shakes it....

Hi just wanted to say Thank you so much for this video....useless or not, knowledge of new things is a good thing. At 49 years old, I never knew how to use an Abacus, for that I thank you!!

That was actually awesome! I think that could help children learn to count easy!

i guess its just grouping haha. i had know idea. but it's the world's first computing system. or "computer" so it's pretty neat to know how it works. Thank you!

In Romania we used abacus in our early school years and it was very efficient. Don't know if it still used,but was very good for developing the logic,solutions seeking and creativity beside the mathematics skills.

I’m microbiologist we barely use math in our work, I also have finals but instead of studying I’m here learning how to use an abacus !!

that was AMAZING! dont underplay the skills...the brain muscles were throbbing and pumping in excitement! :)

thank you for a helpful and fun video

I had abacus as a kid but never new how to use it properly, we just counted the beads 😂 this is awesome, I will buy one for my daughter ❤

Great Explanation.... i loved it and I am going to teach my kid to use abacus.. it seems kids still struggle with understanding place holder using conventional system..

Who else watchin this in the zombie apocalypse 🙋

There's a reason you can still buy something dating to the 2nd Century BC - How could something which helps us do math ever be 'useless'??

This was a very nice tutorial. I was able to quickly work out how to do some of the stuff that wasn't shown. If you multiply two 2 digit numbers, for example 17x21, you do the 7x21 as shown, then you simply move up 1 rung on the bottom and you're doing 10x21. For division, if you're doing something that's not even, like say 125 / 4, you first do 5/4, then you use a 4th rung to denote the 1 remainder, and then you do 120/4, which breaks down exactly as shown in the video, with the added complication that 10/4 is not an even division and thus takes a bit longer. It can be sped up by jumping straight to 40's instead, in which case the process will be similar to addition: Move 20 from the top, break down the 100 into 10s, move an extra 2, now you've got a 10 in the bottom with 80 left in the top. You end up with 31 on the bottom, with the 1 remainder in the top. Also, if you have no paper, you can do addition of up to two 5 digit numbers using only the abacus. Rungs 1-5 is the first number, 6-10 is the second number. Now you just add beads into rungs 6-10 for each bead in the corresponding rungs 1-5. Another thing to note is that you don't actually need to count all the way to 10, you just need to count to 5, and either start from the left, or the right. 2 from the right is 2, 2 from the left is 8.

Very clear and helpful video. Thanks for posting!

The ONLY thing wrong with your video is that you call it useless. You explained it so clearly and I wanted to find a video to show to my granddaughter, who is just about to start kindergarten. I don't want her to ever think a learning tool is useless. I would love to see you edit that out. Fun is fun, no matter if it can be done a faster, easier way. You even say it is fun, which makes it useful. (raspberries)

Me for no reason: "Why is he holding it like a Harp"

Thank you so much when I go back in time I will tell him them of a hero who taught me to use the abacus

love your sense of humor.

so I'm teaching my kids to use it and you have been the most helpful out of all these other dumb videos so it may have been useless for you but super helpful the generations coming up!

This is not silly, it's awesome. Knowledge is the only way to alive.

Totally not useless my kid got an abacus for Christmas and this was really useful to learn how to use it. I think it's going to be great for when he's learning math in school.

That opening statement was hilarious! 😂

this is not useless !! zombie apo IS coming !! good job on the vids

if your calculator sucked up use your trusty old 2000 year old calculator

Very Helpful In Getting Started With Abacus, Loved It!

novel thing I never thought about- although for things like 7 times eight, I literally just count with my fingers by adding a proportionate amount and using my brain as the other half of the abacus that records my calculations, basically eight fingers out, then 6 fingers(10 being represented in my head) and so on, or how I used to do it until I simply memorised it.

"..6, 7 , 8" *whispers "who do we appreciate" 🤣 2:55

21x7 takes less than 1 second to do in my head and this took 53 seconds!! SMH 🤦‍♀️ Can’t imagine the (Convoluted) Common Core.. 5 minutes? 😂 Ok I was given and taught the abacus even before I started kindergarten in Asia. But the best method was to work it in my head faster or the borrow method, because we’re family business merchants and speed calculations is key or you lose.. Ok for those of you who’s lost here’s what you do in your mind: 10x7 =70 2 x 70=140 (because 2x7=14 & 14X10=140) 140+7=147. Way I do tips: $25.97 Tipping 10% Move dot back $2.597 round up $2.60 because we don’t have anything below pennies. If you’re generous 20% you double it.. $5.20)

I have dyscalculia and the first time I ever saw something like this, math made all the sense in the world!

This is very cool and well explained! Love it!❤

I really want to find a credible and intellectual video on how an abacus really works. "Hello everyone today we are going to learn a completely useless skill" *Clicks back button*

but what if there's decimal numbers involved though? how can you do that? I asume that this only works with whole numbers.

Hey Eddy I like the videos you make. I am 10 years old and I understood pretty much everything. Watch your videos every day. Keep up the good work! :)

Awesome tutorial! Thank you for making it easy to understand

Excellent for visual learners! 💛

It is very helpful thanks for u great explanation 😊

Thanks so much for posting. Totally worth watching

Extremely fabulous explanation.

Actually I like it better then a calculator. I’m dyslexic with numbers but my brain seemed less resistant to it.

I knew that since grade 1 the teacher demonstrated it but never let us do it

lol I’m 25 years old and barely learning how an Abacus works. Meanwhile when I was 7-8 I was learning on how to memorize the times tables. At least up to 12. After being away from math for a while, I really do miss the calculating and everything. But what I don’t miss is the pressure and time constraints. Looking here an Abacus, really takes quite a bit of time to use if you’re new. But from what I’m understanding is that as long as you’re good at designing and assigning values, groups of any range number, you can calculate anything. Supposedly the ones are tens and tens are hundreds, etc. it can be scaled up to whatever number you need. However what I won’t get is how to do multiple step equations like 399+122-144+67…. Understanding that would probably help me understand how the abacus works better.

Back in the 80s in Russia, the abacus was used everywhere in all supermarkets, bakeries, shops and kiosks. Even the grandmothers in the market who had never been to school were real geniuses using this “device”.

Ugh my standard brain thinks this is complicated

GREAT VIDEO MORE CLEARER THAN OTHER ONES. T.Y.

Your intro is particularly funny as I have a solar charged calculator that's been in my childhood chest of draws that still works.

For some reason I thought of how I never knew how an acacia worked. I've always lived math. I can multiply 2 digit numbers in my head but that's about it. One thing I thought of is that the availability of paper and pencils to do large math calculations is fairly recent in human history. This thing could be made entirely out of wood, so it was the go to device millennia ago. Probably an excellent tool for those less than trustworthy to make a few coin off of the unsuspecting. Thanks for a cool demo. Bucket list item checked!

Great video! but at 4:26 you moved two beads at once on the top but it did not mess up the multiplication of 21 by 7 because you should have started with no beads on the bottom instead of one on tens and two on ones.

Thanks, just got one for the grandkids. Now I won't look like an idiot when I show them how to use it. 🤣

This is actually great for teaching young children some simple math. Lots of color, very visual and hands on.

I love how you explain it. Good job

You’re a beast. #topcomment

Thanks for using the word ‘crap’ while I was showing my child how to use an abacus.

This was really useful. Or at least fun. And now I know a little bit what to do with the abacus in my kids room. The next step is to teach them. Wish me luck!