ABSTRACT
Counting has been a universal activity among people — probably developed as a way of checking possessions. The Hindu-Arabic number system which authors use has a decimal base which shows in both the oral and written form. The place of the Egyptian 'rope stretchers' is shown in the symbols used. The symbol for one was a single stroke; that for ten was a longer piece of rope bent into a horseshoe; and the symbol for a hundred was a stylised coil of rope. Carpenter identifies some basic types of simple one-step addition and subtraction problems depending on the actions or relationships specified. Enough has been said to show that solving apparently simple addition and subtraction problems can actually be quite complicated. To help children develop efficient and effective ways of solving problems, it is probably best to allow them plenty of time for discussion. The language used is sometimes in a different order from the abstract number sentence.
