Elementary arithmetic is the simplified portion of arithmetic which includes the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Elementary arithmetic starts with the natural numbers and the written symbols (digits) which represent them. The process for combining a pair of these numbers with the four basic operations traditionally relies on memorized results for small values of numbers, including the contents of a multiplication table to assist with multiplication and division.
Elementary arithmetic also includes fractions and negative numbers, which can be represented on a number line.
The abacus is an early mechanical device for performing elementary arithmetic, which is still used in many parts of Asia. Modern calculating tools which perform elementary arithmetic operations include cash registers, electronic calculators, and computers.
Read more about Elementary Arithmetic: The Digits, Addition, Successorship and Size, Counting, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Educational Standards
Famous quotes containing the words elementary and/or arithmetic:
“As if paralyzed by the national fear of ideas, the democratic distrust of whatever strikes beneath the prevailing platitudes, it evades all resolute and honest dealing with what, after all, must be every healthy literature’s elementary materials.”
—H.L. (Henry Lewis)
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)