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Arithmetical compendium

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probably made in London

Arithmetical compendium
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This arithmetical compendium - a calculating device - was devised in 1667 by Sir Charles Cotterell and made around 1670, probably by Robert Jole, a scientific instrument maker based in London.

The compendium combines a bead abacus with Napierian Rods - a set of numbering rods for teaching arithmetic, named after John Napier of Merchiston. The abacus is used to avoid writing down the partial products of multiplication using the rods.

The continuing popularity of Napierian Rods and their integration in other devices illustrates the difficulty that many had with written methods of multiplication and division in the 17th and 18th century.

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