Michael Caulfield and Wayne Anderson Gannon University John Napier (1550-1617) created a procedure for multiplication using sticks or bones. This technique is now referred to as "Napier's Bones" or "Napier's Rods." In this Flash application, you can watch a step-by-step demonstration of the procedure and you may then enter any two factors up to six digits each and watch an animation of the method.

References

• For more information on John Napier, see http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Napier.html
• To read more about Napier’s Bones, and for a list of additional references, go to http://mathworld.wolfram.com/NapiersBones.html
• Finally, this page from Alexander Bogomolny's "Cut the Knot" series illustrates Napier's Bones in other number bases: http://www.cut-the-knot.org/blue/Napier.shtml

Open Napier's Bones in a new window