So, I was looking at an abacus one day, and I thought: What if you had a rotary abacus? Like the sticks with the beads rotate around a pivot. Maybe the central, stationary part has its own beads. Or something like that
I don't even know what the implications or possible uses would be of this, I just know it's a new idea, and there are some uses that would probably be obvious.
Dicuss-- EdwinBakery, Jan 04 2012 Curta http://www.vcalc.net/cu.htm [MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 04 2012] huh ?-- FlyingToaster, Jan 04 2012 NEJAB-- Alterother, Jan 04 2012 A bit like a Curta calculator (link).-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 04 2012 It's essentially a floating-point abacus.-- phundug, Jan 04 2012 Good for teaching circular reasoning.-- RayfordSteele, Jan 04 2012 I would buy one, even though I can't do math.-- DIYMatt, Jan 05 2012 Rotary abacus is a bad title, I think what Edwin means is a 3D abacus of variable geometry.-- DIYMatt, Jan 05 2012 and can someone explain to me why a Curta costs $1500?-- DIYMatt, Jan 05 2012 Probably because they are more complex and far prettier than a Rolex and haven't been made for several decades.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 05 2012 I have a cylindrical slide rule at home.-- hippo, Jan 05 2012 Two words: Orrery Abacus...-- RayfordSteele, Jan 05 2012 If the beads get stuck, then it's an ornery abacus.-- phundug, Jan 05 2012 If the beads get stuck, it's an ornery rotary orrery abacus.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 05 2012 If the beads get stuck in the Lion's offensive tackle's backside, it would be an ornery rotary orrery Backus' back abacus.
Perhaps one should be figure-8 shaped, for teaching about infinity...-- RayfordSteele, Jan 05 2012 misread as "rosary abacus," part of the ancient chinese catholic accountant toolkit.-- swimswim, Jan 05 2012 In the days of Kipling's Kim, pundits carried rosaries that were covert calculating devices, to do land surveying in regions forbidden to Europeans.-- mouseposture, Jan 05 2012 /Dicuss/
Misread this as discus. Fetch fido!-- slackline, Jan 08 2012 random, halfbakery