OF LONG AGO
Tens Units
Tens UnitsHundreds Tens Units
Fourth StepFifth StepSixth Step
HOW CAIUS ADDED WITH PEBBLES
After the Third Step, as shown on page 48, Caius added 2 pebbles to the tens’ line because of the XX in XXII, as shown in the Fourth Step. He then added 3 more because of the XXX in CXXXVIIII, as shown in the Fifth Step. Finally he drew a line for hundreds, and on this he placed one pebble because of the C in CXXXVIIII. His answer was CLXI
Of course Caius spoke Latin, and so he did not use the word “pebble,” but used the
Latin word calculus (kăl'kṹ lŭs), which means “pebble.” So instead of saying that Caius
pebbled the answer, we say that he calculated it, using a word that sounds more like Latin,
and so we see what our words “calculate” and “calculation” originally meant.
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