Page:Smith - Number Stories of Long ago (1919).djvu/85

 THE QUESTION BOX

1. How could Caius have added the numbers XXVII and LXXXVIII without using calculi?

2. What were the calculi and what is the origin of our word “calculate”?

3. How could Caius have added the numbers XXVII and LXXXVIII by using calculi?

4. What did Roman schoolboys take to school to help them in performing their calculations?

6. What were the wax tablets of the Greek and Roman schoolboys, and how were they used?

6. What people computed with bamboo rods in ancient times, and later with a suan pan?

7. In what country did the people compute with rods made of bone? Where is that country?

8. How did Robert Record compute?

9. What is the origin of our word “counter” as used in stores?

10. What nations still make much use of the abacus?

11. What kinds of machines or instruments are used for purposes of calculating in many of the most civilized countries to-day?

12. Of all the different ways of calculating that have been mentioned, which would you rather use if you were multiplying one large number by another? 62