Introduction: Your Body Is an Abacus (Chisanbop)
This is a method I am using for the last few years. It never ever came to my mind that that there may be a similar method exists. Did a google and found the word Chisanbop. Never ever got an empty page while searching for anything at instructablebles. Looked for chisanbop here and found nothing. So here it goes.
Chisanbop
Uses an abacus like finger counting method used to perform basic mathematical operations.
this method you can use your hands to count add/subtract till 99
No extra things are required.
Its funny how a single rod of abacus has 5 beads (4 earth beads and 1 sky bead), same as with hand! 4 fingers and 1 thumb.
Step 1: Units Place
Your right hand is the units place holder, as you will be writing units place on the right. You can count from 0 to 9 just by using one hand. See the images about how you will represent the digits.
Step 2: Tens Place
Your left hand is the tenss place holder, as you will be writing tens place on the left. You can count from 0 to 9 just by using one hand. Just by saying 10, 20, 30 instead of 1, 2, 3. See the images about how you will represent the digits.
Step 3: Examples How to Count
Now you are ready to count. Use both the hands.
Take the units place value and represent on the right hand.
Take the tens place value and represent on the left hand.
It can be easily seen that one can count till 99 using both hands.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chisanbop
Step 4: Addition
6 Comments
5 years ago on Step 4
I've actually used Chisanbop since I was a child. I'm dyslexic and using this counting method worked wonders for me. It really helped me get through elementary mathematics. To this day (I'm now in my 50's) I still use it for small amounts.
9 years ago
Yes, stubbsonic. This was marketed in the 1970s as a learning product. I haven't looked it up on line lately, but I seem to recall Mr. MacMurray saying that it was an ancient Korean method maybe? I also remember it from my childhood. There was an info-mercial hosted by Fred McMurray, who was the father on the 1960s and 70s sitcom entitled, "My Three Sons." The best part about this Instructable is that no one remembers Chisenbop, so I saved it to my favorites, and now I can open it up to show folks my age and older that I did NOT make it all up!
9 years ago on Introduction
Great instructable! Very useful! Now, how to do some math (or maths as they say in other parts of the world)? Also, will need to exercise my toes to get to 9999.
Reply 9 years ago on Introduction
I am glad you got the concept of it! Actually I thought about it while writing the ible, but dropped the idea thinking that it would look pretty weird.
Reply 9 years ago on Introduction
Yea, probably so. Thanks for the addition example. It'll take some practice, but seems quite useful. I had long forgotten about it, but when I was a kid, this system was mentioned on some TV commercial. I remember that name, "Chisanbop".
9 years ago on Introduction
Very interesting.