Quote: (see right)-->Question: Does a [modern] calculator operate on the same basic principle as an abacus?
Comment: I thought that the idea of Romans using binary to solve math problems is pretty cool, especially when binary seems like such a modern invention in terms of ways to think about and express numbers. Especially when you consider the thought that advanced abacus users could utilize the simplicity of the binary-based abacus to do incredibly quick mental calculations. I also thought it interesting to note that calculus, the name of this class, comes from calculus ponere. Ponere means "to put" (in Spanish, it is poner), so our Calculus class is really just about pebbles (OK, so not really, but you get the idea behind this comment). Sometimes our origins are not as flattering as they ought to be....
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