Response to the following problem:
Throughout history, people of different cultures and civilizations have devised tools for counting, calculating, and recordkeeping. The Jibaro Indians living in the Amazon rain forest in South America use the most basic counting tools of all- their fingers. Jibaros use phrases to express the numbers five and ten that translate to "I have finished one hand" and "I have finished both hands." A more complex device of ancient origin is the abacus. The abacus is a calculating device that developed in several different cultures. The Babylonians in Asia Minor had an early form of abacus, as did the Egyptians in northern Africa. The first abacus was known in China as early as the 6th century B.C. This abacus was a flat piece of wood divided into squares. Its use spread to the rest of the Asian world. The abacus may be used to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Twelfth-century Chinese mathematicians used the abacus to solve algebraic equations. Today some highly skilled people, particularly of Asian descent, still use the abacus for calculations. Recordkeepers in the Incan civilization (in present-day Peru) memorized business transactions and recited them when necessary. Incan recordkeepers used small ropes of different colors and sizes and knotted and joined them in different ways to help remember financial data. These ropes, called quipu, were one of the earliest means of recording transactions. Accounting tools have changed over the course of history. They will continue to evolve with future advances in technology.
Critical Thinking
1. What tools do most accounting workers today use for calculations?
2. Discuss whether the use of modern calculating tools results in the creation of more complex accounting transactions.