Abstract
The earliest known analogue computing device was the abacus. Having originated in Asia more than 5000 years ago, the abacus is still employed in some parts of the world. It is not a true computer, because calculation is carried out by the user who must remember the rales for arithmetic operations. The abacus was perhaps the earliest mathematical machine. The abacus is lost in antiquity, and computers of some kind were evidently built by the ancient Greeks. Considering the abacus, numbers are represented by physical objects in a way that offers wider scope for number representation and calculation in commercial applications. Theoretically, the number of physical objects is limiting man’s advancement.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
(2008). Computing Techniques. In: Geometrical Geodesy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68225-7_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68225-7_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-25449-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-68225-7
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)