Why Computers Invented?

For centuries, humans have needed help in calculating. Making trade transactions, taking a population census, or figuring out the distance between two stars takes tons of calculating. And if you want an accurate result, no mistakes are allowed.

The earliest calculator was the human hand and its fingers. When quantities larger than fingers needed counting, various natural items like pebbles and twigs were used.

The abacus was one of many counting devices invented to help count large numbers.

There is a difference between counting boards and abaci. The counting board is a piece of wood, stone or metal with carved grooves or painted lines. Beads, pebbles or metal discs were moved between the lines or grooves to count. The abacus is a device of wood or plastic with a frame that holds rods with freely-sliding beads mounted on them.

Both the abacus and the counting board are mechanical aids used for counting. They are not what we think of as a modern calculators. The person operating the abacus performs calculations in his head and uses the abacus as a physical aid to keep track of the sums. Some tradesmen still use them nowadays to make their calculations on the markets in Asia,