📖 View Step-by-Step Bead Positioning Guide (Optional)▼
To show 80 on a soroban, read the rods from left to right: the millions column is clear with no active beads; the hundred-thousands column is set to zero; the ten-thousands column has no beads moved to the beam; the thousands column remains empty on this column; the hundreds column is clear with no active beads; the tens column marks 8 with the top bead touching the beam and 3 lower beads raised; the ones column has no beads moved to the beam.
- Step 1. Start from a cleared soroban with every upper bead away from the beam and every lower bead resting at the bottom.
- Step 2. Adjust the millions column to 0. the millions column is clear with no active beads.
- Step 3. Configure the hundred-thousands rod for 0. That means the hundred-thousands column is set to zero.
- Step 4. On the ten-thousands column, show 0. In practice, the ten-thousands column has no beads moved to the beam.
- Step 5. Set the thousands column for 0. Here, the thousands column remains empty on this column.
- Step 6. Adjust the hundreds column to 0. the hundreds column is clear with no active beads.
- Step 7. Configure the tens rod for 8. That means the tens column marks 8 with the top bead touching the beam and 3 lower beads raised.
- Step 8. On the ones column, show 0. In practice, the ones column has no beads moved to the beam.
- Step 9. Once every column is set, the soroban should read 80 across the full frame.