Is an Abacus a Computer?
In short: A short look at whether the abacus counts as a computer, tracing it from pebbles in sand to bead frames, and showing how much depends on what the word "computer" means.
A 1:23 short film in the series “From Fingers to Qubits”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: Computer History Museum (CHM blog, Leonard J. Shustek), “Why a Computer History Museum?”; Computer History Museum (CHM blog, Hansen Hsu, June 29, 2016), “The Neverending Quest for “Firsts””; Smithsonian Institution (National Museum of American History), “The Abacus and the Numeral Frame”; Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, “Salamis Counting Table (replica)”; Computer History Museum (CHM Revolution online exhibit), “Salamis tablet, marble - CHM Revolution”; Computer History Museum (archive scan of Kwa Tak Ming's booklet 'The Fundamental Operations in Bead Arithmetic: How to Use the Chinese Abacus', Service Supply Company, San Francisco), “B1671.01”; Communications of the ACM (BLOG@CACM), Association for Computing Machinery; post by Herbert Bruderer, 20 Feb 2019, “How Did the Romans Calculate?”; Science Museum (Science Museum Group), “Thinking machines: Stories from the history of computing | Science Museum”; Science Museum (Science Museum Group, London), “Lovelace, Turing and the invention of computers | Science Museum”; Whipple Museum of the History of Science, University of Cambridge, “A Brief History of Calculating Devices”.
Sources used in this film
- Computer History Museum (CHM blog, Leonard J. Shustek) — Why a Computer History Museum? · View →
- Computer History Museum (CHM blog, Hansen Hsu, June 29, 2016) — The Neverending Quest for “Firsts” · View →
- Smithsonian Institution (National Museum of American History) — The Abacus and the Numeral Frame · View →
- Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History — Salamis Counting Table (replica) · View →
- Computer History Museum (CHM Revolution online exhibit) — Salamis tablet, marble - CHM Revolution · View →
- Computer History Museum (archive scan of Kwa Tak Ming's booklet 'The Fundamental Operations in Bead Arithmetic: How to Use the Chinese Abacus', Service Supply Company, San Francisco) — B1671.01 · View →
- Communications of the ACM (BLOG@CACM), Association for Computing Machinery; post by Herbert Bruderer, 20 Feb 2019 — How Did the Romans Calculate? · View →
- Science Museum (Science Museum Group) — Thinking machines: Stories from the history of computing | Science Museum · View →
- Science Museum (Science Museum Group, London) — Lovelace, Turing and the invention of computers | Science Museum · View →
- Whipple Museum of the History of Science, University of Cambridge — A Brief History of Calculating Devices · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Computer History Museum (CHM blog, Leonard J. Shustek): Why a Computer History Museum?
- Also: Computer History Museum: The Neverending Quest for “Firsts”
- Also: Smithsonian Institution (National Museum of American History): The Abacus and the Numeral Frame
- Also: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History: Salamis Counting Table (replica)
- Also: Computer History Museum (CHM Revolution): Salamis tablet, marble - CHM Revolution
- Also: Computer History Museum (archive scan of Kwa Tak Ming's booklet 'The Fundamental Operations in Bead Arithmetic: How to U: B1671.01
- Also: Communications of the ACM (BLOG@CACM), Association for Computing Machinery; post by Herbert Bruderer, 20 Feb 2019: How Did the Romans Calculate?
- Also: Science Museum (Science Museum Group): Thinking machines: Stories from the history of computing | Science Museum
- Also: Lovelace, Turing and the invention of computers | Science Museum
- Also: Whipple Museum of the History of Science, University of Cambridge: A Brief History of Calculating Devices
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