Suan-p'an, or Chinese Abacus

Description:

This abacus fits in a black wooden box with a wooden cross piece. Eleven parallel bamboo rods carry seven beads each. Two beads are above the cross piece, five below. The beads are rounded, like those on Chinese abaci. One rod is broken and another cracked. The abacus was received as a gift from the Department of Mathematics of Brown University in 1973. There are no marks by a maker.

Place Made: China

Subject: Mathematics

Subject:

See more items in: Medicine and Science: Mathematics, Abacus, Science & Mathematics, Many Voices, One Nation

Exhibition: Many Voices, One Nation

Exhibition Location: National Museum of American History

Credit Line: Gift of Brown University Department of Mathematics

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: MA.304722.01Catalog Number: 304722.01Accession Number: 304722

Object Name: abacus

Physical Description: bamboo (overall material)wood (overall material)Measurements: overall: 2 cm x 19 cm x 12 cm; 25/32 in x 7 15/32 in x 4 23/32 in

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-16bf-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_690527

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.