How to Use the Simulator
Bead Movement:
Click on a bead to move it within its column. Beads move as blocks either upward or downward, mimicking physical abacus movement.
Bi-Quinary System:
Each column can hold up to 15 by combining top and bottom beads:
- Top section has 2 beads, each worth
5(max 10). - Bottom section has 5 beads, each worth
1(max 5).
Reading the Number:
The number is calculated by summing all active beads in each column and multiplying by its place value (e.g., 10⁰, 10¹, ..., 10⁹). The result is automatically displayed beneath each column.
Overflow Handling:
If the total number exceeds 10 digits, the leftmost column will show a 2-digit value to represent the overflow correctly.
Setting the abacus directly:
You can set the abacus directly by entering a number and clicking "Set Abacus". This will produce the simplest number (not using the top bead), unless the number will overflow.
Resetting:
Click the Reset button to return all beads to their default starting positions.