Drealmer's Tumblr
23/09/2009
“ The first tools used for calculation aids were almost certainly man’s own fingers, and it is no coincidence that the Latin word “digit” is used to refer to a finger (or toe) as well as a numerical quantity. As the need to represent larger numbers grows, early man employed readily available materials for the purpose. Small stones or pebbles were used to represent larger numbers than fingers and toes, that had the added advantage of easily storing intermediate results for later use. Thus, it is no coincidence that the word “calculate” was derived from the Latin word for pebble: calculus. „
History of Computing - Pre Historic Era (link)
