Soroban HD is an educational tool to aid in the study and mastery of the soroban (abacus). This application currently supports 2 types of abacus; the 1:4 or single 5 bead and 4 1 beads typically used in Japanese studies and the 2:5 or 2 5 beads and 5 1 beads often used in the Chinese studies. There are several modes of both type of abacus. The first mode is to use the abacus as a calculation device. The second mode is used for studying; accessed by clicking menu and the book icon. In this mode many problems will be presented to the user to solve. The user will get instant feedback if the answer calculated is correct. The final mode is a test mode, accessed by clicking menu and the test icon. This mode is similar to the study mode except the user has to complete all the problems in a given time but will not receive instant feedback if the answers are correct. Once the time has expired or the user has stopped the timer, all the problems will be checked and a final grade calculated.

This application is not intended to replace formal teaching by a qualified instructor and passing a grade level does not guarantee passing a test given by a certified instructor. To try this online click here (you may be asked to install the “Unity Player” browser plugin). Once Soroban HD is running, clicking the menu and selecting the ? icon will show additional information.

This application is not intended for smaller devices such as phones and devices smaller than 7 inches. Due to the nature of the application it works best on tablets. Manipulating the beads would be cumbersome on smaller devices.