In partnership with the History of science museum in Oxford.
Introduction
The invention of written numbers is one of the greatest achievements of human civilization. About 6000 years ago, the only counting method was using fingers and tally marks, which limited human expansion and growth.
Using only ten fingers was not enough, so in the tropical culture, they included the toes. But still, it was not sufficient for larger quantities, so various handy objects have been used to keep counting, like pebbles, twigs, and sea shells.
After the invention of numbers, human civilization expanded, and it became easier to trade goods and keep track of inventory.
Also, agriculture expanded, which helped systematic agriculture to emerge. Then, it got reflected in food security and better physical and mental health for the public.
Accordingly, human civilization started its expansion, which included development in many areas, like medical, scientific, and social fields.
After that, there have been numerous attempts to invent calculators to help with simple calculations. But it was necessary to design a calculating instrument capable of handling large numbers efficiently since the calculations had become more complex over time.
One of the most successful attempts was the abacus.
What is the Abacus?
The abacus is one of the most ancient calculating devices known. The first abacus that appeared is estimated to be 5000 years old.
Abacus consists of rows of movable beads or similar objects strung on a wire. Still, the origin of the abacus is uncharted, but the concept behind it is simple, and it was easy to learn for most people, which helped it to spread worldwide.
Although calculators improved to become electronic and more accurate, the abacus remains in use by many people in their jobs and daily life.
Thomas de Colmar Arithmometer
Today, calculators are commercial, manufactured by numerous companies, and cost-efficient for the public. But it was not the case in the past.
The first commercial calculator was first introduced in 1820 by the French inventor Charles Xavier Thomas de Colmar.
Despite this, Thomas devoted all his time and attention to growing his insurance business, which caused a more than 30-year gap before the Arithmometer was commercially available in 1852.
The Thomas Arithmometer is an impressive calculating device. The Arithmometer is capable of performing multiple mathematical operations. Like, addition, subtraction, multiplications, and divisions.
Also, for much more complex problems, such as the extraction of square roots, involution, and the resolution of triangles.
As it was the first mass-marketed, its design was the starting point for the mechanical calculator industry, which later evolved into the electronic calculator.
Calculator contribution
The calculator has continued to evolve afterward to reach the form that we all know today. Modern calculators come in different types and serve various purposes, like scientific, graphing, and financial calculators.
The contribution of calculators to science is ineffable. The calculators’ accuracy helped us to discover many mathematical and physical constants. Also, it helped accomplish faster improvements in many fields by being a reliable and time-efficient device.
Certainly, more scientific achievements will continue to emerge because of the calculator. The calculator itself may get more improvements to make it capable of more complex problems.
