I’m sure most of us have a vague idea about how to use an abacus. You knock around beads back and forth to help you count, right? Something like that anyways.
In Japan, the abacus, or soroban (SO-ROW-BHAN) as it is called, is still in use. Until a few years ago, I’m told, they were quite common, regularly seen in banks, the post office, department stores, etc. Sometime in the 90s they started to disappear and now a pocket calculator is much more common. You will, however, still see them from time to time, usually in shops owned by older people.
They still teach soroban in the schools, too. It’s required in most elementary schools and optional in middle and high school. Most students hate it, but some really enjoy it. I’m told that people who can use it really well are faster than a calculator. Hard to believe? Watch the video, then decide.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIiDomlEjJw]
