Sand table

Sand table is a somewhat generic name for using constrained sand for modeling or educational purposes. The original version of a sand table seems to be the abax used by early Greek students.

Abax

An abax was a table covered with sand commonly used by students, particularly in Greece, to perform studies such as writing, geometry, and calculations. [Smith 1958:177-178]

An abax was the predecessor to the abacus. Objects, such as stones, were added for counting and then columns for place valued arithmetic. The demarcation between an abax and an abacus seems to be poorly defined in history [Ifrah 2000:125-126 and others] , moreover, modern definitions of the word "abacus" universally describe it as a frame with rods and beads [See American Heritage definition of "abacus" in External Links below] and, in general, do not include the definition of "sand table".

The sand table may well have been the predecessor to some board games. ("The word abax, or abacus, is used both for the reckoning-board with its counters and the play-board with its pieces, ...") [Taylor 1879:28]

Abax is from the old Greek for "Sand Table". [American Heritage:abacus]

Ghubar

An Arabic word for sand (or dust) is ghubar (or gubar), and Western numerals (the decimal digits 0–9) are derived from the style of digits written on ghubar tables in North-West Africa and Iberia, also described as the 'West Arabic' or 'gubar' style. [http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/HistTopics/Arabic_numerals.html O'Connor, J. J., and E. F. Robertson, "The Arabic numeral system"]

Military use

Sand tables have been used for military planning and wargaming for many years as a field expedient, small-scale map, for planning and training for military actions.

Games

A Sand table is prominently featured in the Xbox and PlayStation 2 video game, "", in the Chinese Commanders Tent.

Education

A Sand table is a device useful for teaching in the early grades and for special needs children. [Raines et al 1992:101] [Wagner 1999:80]

Notes

References

* cite book
last = Ifrah
first = Georges
authorlink = Geroges Ifrah
title = The Universal History of Numbers: from prehistory to the invention of the computer
publisher = John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
date = 2000
location = New York et al
pages = 633 pages
doi = 513.221-dc21
isbn = 0-471-37568-3

* cite book
last =Raines
first =Shirley
authorlink =Shirley C. Raines
coauthors =Robert J. Canady
title =Story Stretchers for the Primary Grades: Activities to Expand Children's Favorite Books
publisher =Gryphon House
date =1992
location = Mt. Rainier, Md.
pages = 256 pages
page = 101
url =
doi =
id =
isbn = 0876591578

* Citation
last = Smith
first = David Eugene
authorlink = David Eugene Smith
coauthors =
title = History of Mathematics
volume = 2
publisher = Courier Dover
date = 1958
location =
pages =
url =
doi =
id =
isbn = 0486204308

* Taylor, E. B., LL.D (1879), "The History of Games", "Fortnightly Review republished in The Eclectic Magazine", New York, W. H. Bidwell, ed., pp. 21–30
* cite book
last = Wagner
first = Sheila
authorlink = Sheila Wagner
coauthors =
title = Inclusive Programming for Elementary Students With Autism
publisher = Future Horizons, Inc.
date = 1999
location = Arlington, TX
pages =
url =
doi =
id =
isbn = 1885477546

External links

* [http://www.thocp.net/ The History of Computing Project]
* [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/abacus "abacus." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. via Dictionary.com accessed 28 August 2007.]
* [http://www.combatic.com/Text%20articles/Sandtable.htm Sand table in "TACTICS, The Practical Art of Leading Troops in War" 1922]