A chessboard and a set of counters makes a formidable calculation device. This is from the final part of John Napier's treatise called Rabdologia, or Rabdology. He called it 'Location Arithmetic as Performed on a Chessboard'. This method of using counters on a chessboard is based on binary and basic algebraic properties, and with only sliding counters on a chessboard we can perform multiplication, division, and square roots, even square roots of irrationals. #maths #mathtricks #mathematics
I just launched a math fashion brand at https://mathshion.com/
Check it out and pick up some of the coolest math merch of all time!
Join Wrath of Math to get exclusive videos, lecture notes, and more:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyEKvaxi8mt9FMc62MHcliw/join
Sources:
Gamma: Exploring Euler's Constant by Julian Havil
https://old.maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/napiers-binary-chessboard-calculator-napiers-rabdologiae
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxuWzuvp_k0
Outro music available for channel members.
0:00 Intro
1:17 Multiplication
5:33 Division
11:33 Square Roots
17:59 Square Root of 2
20:48 Conclusion