The Abacus and the Numeral Frame - The Russian Abacus
The Russian abacus (tchoty) is held so that counters move crosswise. It has no crossbar, and all counters in one row have the same value. Most rods have ten counters. An occasional row has fewer, to represent fractions.
"The Abacus and the Numeral Frame - The Russian Abacus" showing 2 items.
Tchoty, or Russian Abacus
- Description
- This modern Russian abacus has a black plastic frame and 13 parallel metal wires that hold beads. There are ten beads on each rod, with two blue ones in the middle and four white ones on either side. On the third and sixth row, the leftmost bead is also blue. The fourth row from the bottom has only four beads - two blue ones in the center and a white bead on either side.
- The cardboard envelope is yellow, red, and tan, with a drawing of the abacus. The envelope is marked in pencil: MOSCOW (/) Sept. 1958 (/) G.U.M. Other marks on it are in Russian.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1958
- ID Number
- MA*335269
- catalog number
- 335269
- accession number
- 314637
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Tchoty, or Russian Abacus
- Description
- This Russian abacus, or tchoty has a well-finished wooden frame, eight metal rods for carrying the beads, and plastic beads that move along the rods. Seven rods have four red beads, two purple beads, and then another four red beads. The other rod (the fourth from the bottom) has one red bead, two purple beads, and then another red bead. Loose inside the paper box are a small gray slip of paper and a larger beige paper, which appears to be a sales receipt.
- This abacus was purchased in August 1965 by George W. Sims of California. Sims, who was born in about 1898, was a tax collector, certified public accountant, world traveller, and collector. Handwritten notations on the cardboard box in which the instrument was received indicate when it was purchased and state that it came from Smolensk in the Russian SSR, and cost the equivalent of 61 American cents. Documentation received in the same accession as the abacus (1988.0489.02) relates to the Chinese abacus, not this one.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1965
- ID Number
- 1988.0489.01
- catalog number
- 1988.0489.01
- accession number
- 1988.0489
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center