Mathematical tools

An abacus is a calculation tool, often constructed as a wooden frame with beads sliding on wires. It was in use centuries before the adoption of the written Hindu-Arabic numeral system and is still widely used by merchants and clerks in China and elsewhere. ...more on Wikipedia about "Abacus"

The analytical engine, an important step in the history of computers, is the design of a mechanical modern general-purpose computer by the British professor of mathematics Charles Babbage. It was first described in 1837, but Babbage continued to work on the design until his death in 1871. Because of financial, political, and legal issues, the engine was never actually built. General-purpose computers that were logically comparable to the analytical engine did not come into existence until about 100 years later. ...more on Wikipedia about "Analytical engine"

A calculating machine is a machine designed to come up with calculations (i.e. computations); the most famous is probably the Victorian British scientist Charles Babbage's Difference Engine (No. 2), designed in the 1840s but never completed in the inventor's lifetime*. ...more on Wikipedia about "Calculating machine"

A calculator is a device for performing numerical calculations. The type is considered distinct from both a calculating machine and a computer in that the calculator is a special-purpose device that may not qualify as a Turing machine. ...more on Wikipedia about "Calculator"

The suanpan ( ) of the Chinese dates from the Han Dynasty (202 BCE - 184 CE). ...more on Wikipedia about "Chinese abacus"

Chisenbop is a method of using the fingers much like an abacus to perform basic mathematical operations. It is said to be of ancient Korean origin. ...more on Wikipedia about "Chisenbop"

A compass (or compasses or pair of compasses) is a technical drawing instrument that can be used for inscribing circles or arcs. It can also be used as a tool to measure distances, in particular on a map. Compasses can be used for mathematics, drafting, navigation, and other purposes. ...more on Wikipedia about "Compass (drafting)"

The counting rods (籌 chou2) were used by ancient Chinese before the invention of the abacus. The way that a number is presented by counting rods is called the rod numeral system. The rod numeral system is a decimal place value system, where the digits 1 to 9 are represented in two ways: ...more on Wikipedia about "Counting rods"

A difference engine is a historical, mechanical special-purpose computer designed to tabulate polynomial functions. Since logarithmic and trigonometric functions can be approximated by polynomials, such a machine is more general than it appears at first. ...more on Wikipedia about "Difference engine"

A fractional order integrator or just simply fractional integrator is an integrator device that calculates the fractional order integral or derivative (usually called a differintegral) of an input. Differentiation or integration is a real or complex parameter. The fractional integrator is useful in fractional order control where the history of the system under control is important to the control system output. ...more on Wikipedia about "Fractional order integrator"

Graph paper is paper that is printed with fine lines making up a grid. The lines are used as guides for plotting mathematical functions and drawing diagrams. It is commonly found in math classrooms and in engineering settings for quick drawings and sketches. ...more on Wikipedia about "Graph paper"

He termed his technique Location arithmetic (Latin ...more on Wikipedia about "Location arithmetic"

Before calculators were cheap and plentiful, people would use mathematical tables —lists of numbers showing the results of calculation with varying arguments— to simplify and drastically speed up computation. Most common are tables of multiplication, which most people know from their early math classes: ...more on Wikipedia about "Mathematical table"

Napier's bones are an abacus invented by John Napier for calculation of products and quotients of numbers. Also called Rabdology (from Greek ραβδoς [rabdos], rod and λรณγoς [logos], word). Napier published his invention of the rods in a work printed in Edinburgh, Scotland, at the end of 1617 entitled Rabdologiæ. Using the multiplication tables embedded in the rods, multiplication can be reduced to addition operations and division to subtractions. More advanced use of the rods can even extract square roots. Note that Napier's bones are not the same as logarithms, with which Napier's name is also associated. ...more on Wikipedia about "Napier's bones" Fast www.shortopedia.com Mathematical_tools

(Nomogram) :This article is about the graphical devices called nomograms. For a description of the Japanese puzzles called nonograms see paint by numbers. Additionally, there are monograms, small motifs of combined letters. ...more on Wikipedia about "Nomogram"

Blaise Pascal invented the second mechanical calculator, called alternatively the Pascaline or the Arithmetique, in 1645, the first being that of Wilhelm Schickard in 1623. ...more on Wikipedia about "Pascal's calculator"

In surgery, protractor means a forceps, extractor or pincer, used to remove foreign objects from wounds or sutures. ...more on Wikipedia about "Protractor"

The Romans developed the Roman abacus, a advancement over previous Greek counting boards. It was the first portable calculating device for engineers, merchants and presumably tax collectors. It greatly reduced the time needed to perform the basic operations of Roman arithmetic using Roman numerals. ...more on Wikipedia about "Roman abacus"

The slide rule, or "slipstick," is an analog computer, usually consisting of three interlocking calibrated strips and a sliding window, called the cursor. It was commonly used until the 1970s, when the electronic calculator made it largely obsolete. Despite their similar appearance, a slide rule serves a different purpose than a standard ruler: a ruler measures physical distances and aids in drawing straight lines, while a slide rule performs mathematical calculations. ...more on Wikipedia about "Slide rule"

Leibniz developed Blaise Pascal's ideas and, in 1671, introduced the Step Reckoner (aka the Stepped Reckoner), a device that, as well as performing additions and subtractions, could multiply, divide, and evaluate square roots by a series of stepped additions. Leibniz also strongly advocated the use of the binary number system, which is fundamental to the operation of modern computers. Pascal's and Leibniz's devices were the forebears of today's desktop computers, and derivations of these machines continued to be produced until their electronic equivalents finally became readily available and affordable in the early 1970s. ...more on Wikipedia about "Stepped Reckoner"

A straightedge is a tool similar to a ruler, but without markings. ...more on Wikipedia about "Straightedge"

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