Lay the abacus flat on its back and notice that the abacus is divided by a central beam into two separate areas. The upper area represents heaven and the bottom half represents Earth.
Count the beads in the upper area as each representing five beads. Count the beads in the bottom portion as representing one bead each.
Push the bead toward the central beam when using it in an equation. The beads pushed away from the beam are not considered to be numbers you are counting or using in your equation.
Find the dots that are located on every third rod if you are calculating units of numbers. The first dot on the left side indicates millions. Starting on the second dot to the left and then moving to the right, each rod symbolizes units of thousands then hundreds, tens and finally single units. This will help you know what beads to move when needing to calculate.
Calculate the equation by moving the beads from the left side of the abacus to the right side. For example, if you are calculating the equation 237 + 152 = 389, move 237 worth of beads on the left side and then do the same with the 152. You will notice afterward that you have 389 left. Moving this direction will help you move quickly and efficiently on the abacus.