Lesson 15: Solving Real-Life Problems

Expert Level

Instructions

  • Let's use the abacus to solve a shopping problem.
  • You have $100 and buy items costing $27, $15, and $38.
  • Set 100 on the abacus: Hundreds (1 blue bead).
  • Subtract each purchase in sequence: First $27 (73), then $15 (58), finally $38.
  • The value should be 20, representing your remaining money!
T
100B
10B
B
100M
10M
M
100K
10K
K
100
10
1
5
1
1
1
1
5
1
1
1
1
5
1
1
1
1
5
1
1
1
1
5
1
1
1
1
5
1
1
1
1
5
1
1
1
1
5
1
1
1
1
5
1
1
1
1
5
1
1
1
1
5
1
1
1
1
5
1
1
1
1
5
1
1
1
1
Value: 0