The History of Chisanbop – A Korean Finger Counting Method Used for Basic Math

Mathematics professor Chris Staeker explains the history of Chisanbop, a Korean finger counting and calculating method created in the 1940s by Sung Jin Pai and introduced to the United States in 1977 by his son Hang Young Pai.

Chisanbop is a finger counting and calculating method created by Hang Young Pai and Sung Jin Pai.

Staeker goes through the basics of the system, specifically how simple math can be done by finger counting, and how a corporate marketing executive named Ed Lieberthal brought Chisanbop into the public eye.

In fact, the counting system was featured on television shows such as The Phil Donahue Show, The Today Show with Tom Brokaw, and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Unfortunately, with the rise of digital calculation, Chisanbop was considered just another fad, despite its clear benefits.

From the present- day viewpoint, the biggest question is just what happened to Chisenbop? How did it go all the way from Johnny Carson's desk to basically nowhere? I mean, yes, some people remember it, but I thought it was going to change everything, and it didn't. So, why didn't it? Even from the start, there was always some concern that this thing was just a fad that would eventually fizzle out

via Tom Scott

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