Another early calculator, later called Napier's Bones, made its debut in the early 1600's. This device, invented by Charles Napier, consisted of a series of rods that could be used to perform multiplication. ... It was not until 1820 that a mechanical calculator, developed by Charles Xavier Thomas, was introduced that could perform all four basic arithmetic operations. While Thomas was busy creating the desktop calculator, Charles Babbage (a mathematics professor in Cambridge, England), began to design a more complex machine. ... This monster of a machine was known as the Electri...

• Word Count: 7384
• Approx Pages: 30
• Grade Level: High School

In 1202, two years after finally settling in Pisa, Fibonacci produced his most famous book, Liber abaci - the book of the Calculator. ... At the end of the first part of the book, he presented tables for multiplication, prime numbers and factor numbers. ...

• Word Count: 3003
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

Through the years, and probably through the centuries, teachers have struggled to make math meaningful by providing students with problems and examples demonstrating its applications in everyday life. As this classic joke shows, some strategies are more successful -- and more meaningful -- than othe...

• Word Count: 6364
• Approx Pages: 25
• Grade Level: High School