About the Abaku Method

Alena Vávrová

Dear readers, colleagues,

We all know how to read. We can decipher individual letters, connect them into words, and form sentences without any auxiliary symbols. Letters P, E, S are read and combined into a word, immediately creating an image of a furry barking four-legged creature.

What about numbers? We read the digits 3, 4, 7 and form the number 347. And then? For further interpretation of the digits, we need guiding symbols, which we call signs, brackets, and symbols of operations and equality. Most of us cannot look at the previous trio and see an example, such as 3 + 4 = 7. We only see a group of digits.

Everyone has solved a crossword puzzle or played Scrabble, a game where various words are formed on a board. It is clear that such a game expands vocabulary and sharpens perception. But what if, instead of letters, numbers are used, and players create examples by arranging them? Most people would shake their heads in disbelief that something like this could even exist. It does! It is the game Abaku. From digits, examples of arithmetic Abaku equality with one mathematical operation are created. It can involve any of the four basic operations, and in an advanced version, even squares, cubes, and roots.

Show Abaku to children. It won't take long before you are surprised. Children play with numbers, creating examples from the numbers around them. It could be license plates, phone numbers, or calendar dates.

It is possible that a generation will grow up that is not afraid of arithmetic and considers mathematics an amazing tool for understanding the world. Just as they learn to read, they will learn to calculate. Proficiency in working with numbers will open the door to the beauty of mathematics, just as the skill of reading opened the world of beautiful books to us years ago.

We cannot change society's attitude toward mathematics overnight, but we can contribute to raising a generation free of prejudice. And Abaku will help us achieve that!