Abacus Instruction and Abaci - Sigma Educational Supply Co.

	Abaci Available Modern Abacus Textbook Abacus Workbooks Videos/DVDs Brief History of the Abacus How to Contact Us Response Form		The Abacus and Mathematical Teaching Aids for Educators

History of the Abacus

The use of abaci (plural form of abacus) were found in ancient civilizations. The Greeks used gigantic marble abaci and the Romans used three types of abaci. Chinese invented wooden abaci which had been transported to Japan later in its abacus history.

The modern Japanese abacus, called

was transfigured from the original Chinese abacus (swanpan): two top beads and five bottom beads in a single column, to one top bead and four bottom beads in a single column. This was done in recent history, the middle of the 20th century.

Here are some excerpts from Modern Abacus textbook.

"The oldest known abacus was found on the island of Salamis, Greece. It is one of white marble, 1.49 meters long and .75 meters wide. The greatest feature of this abacus is that it has three incribed marks of x to take the place value."

"The Romans invented at least three kinds of abaci: a grooved table with beads, a marked table for counters and a dust board. Among them, a type of grooved abacus is shown below. The Romans calculated natural numbers and fractions on this abacus. Although there are no authoritative assertions, some scholars say that this type of abacus was invented in the second century. The depicted type of abacus very much resembles a present oriental abacus."

"It is not certain whether geographical differences have affected the shape of the abacus. The Russian abacus, s'choty, is still in use at the present time and is made of a wood frame and beads with iron rods. The structure is very primitive. Each column has ten beads, except for the two columns for fractions."

Modern Abacus Textbook

A manditory textbook to master abacus skills. Covers basic math operations and math applications. 118 pages. Authored by Shinichi R. Yabuki. Your cost only $15.95

Abaci Available

	5-Digit Abacus - 5 column abacus with larger beads for k-3 up. Your cost only $13.95
	15-Digit Abacus - 15 column abacus for 4th grade up. Your cost only $14.95
	17-Digit Abacus - 17 column wooden abacus. Your cost only $27.95
	5-Digit Demo Abacus - For classroom teaching to show additions and subtractions. Your cost only $100.50
	9-Digit Demo Abacus - For classroom teaching including multiplications and divisions. Your cost only $139.50
	11-Digit Demo Abacus - For classroom teaching including multiplications and divisions. Size 11" x 23"

Abacus Workbooks

Workbook (k-3) - suitable for the grades k-3. Your cost $7.95

Workbook (4-8) - suitable for the grades 4-8. Your cost $6.95

Workbook (math) - suitable for math lessons (4-10th grades). Your cost $6.95

Soroban Erasers - Erasers in the abacus shape. 30 in a case. Your cost $13.95/case

Videos/DVDs

Video Lessons (add./subtr.) - Video lessons in addition and subtraction by the author of Modern Abacus. 65 minutes. Your cost $25.95

Video Lessons (mult./div.) - Video lessons in multiplication and division. 65 minutes. Your cost $25.95

Video Lessons (sqrt, GCF, LCM, etc.) - Advanced video lessons including decimals, GCF, LCM, Square roots, etc. 65 minutes. Your cost $25.95

DVD Lesson 1 in addition and subtraction. Your cost $27.50

DVD Lesson 2 in multiplication and division. Your cost $27.50

DVD Lesson 3 in suare roots, GCF, LCM, Fractions. Your cost $27.50

DVD Lesson Complete contains all of 1, 2, 3 lessons. Your cost $69.50

How to
Contact Us

Send your check or money order to place your purchase to the address below (shipping cost is 10% in USA).

Sigma Educational Supply Co.
1740 Cabrillo St.
West Covina, California 91791-2661
Telephone: 626-915-4486
Fax: 626-915-4486
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Email: sigmaed@citivu.com

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Last update: 20 December, 2006

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The Abacus and Mathematical Teaching Aids for Educators