Creative Crafthouse Curious Minds Did You Know? If you try to divide a number by 0, the answer is undefined e.g. If you had 10 apples and tried to give them to 0 people where would the apples go?

In the days before calculators, methods of simplifying calculations were of much interest. In 1617 Napier also published a book describing a method to multiply, divide and extract square roots using a set of bars or rods. These became known as Napier's Bones. In the late 1800s, Henri Genaille, a French civil engineer, invented an improvement to Napier's Bones that eliminates the need for mental calculations. The problem was posed by Edouard Lucas and thus the alternate name of Genaille-Lucas Rulers (or Rods).

Genaille-Lucas Rods were invented in 1891and were revolutionary inasmuch as they allowed the user to read off the results of simple division problems directly, with no intermediate mental calculations. In essence they were a precursor to our modern day calculator. The process of dividing any integer into a number of any length is reduced to the simple effort of looking up numbers on the rods. Studying how and why these rods work gives real insight into the nature of division.

Our handcrafted set of Genaille-Lucas Division Rods includes 12 wood laser engraved rods presented in a beautifully made wooden box. A unique and beautiful gift for anyone interested in mathematics.
1891 invention that allowed the user to read off the results of simple division problems directly, with no intermediate mental calculations. This set includes 12 wood laser engraved rods stored in the custom box.

In the days before calculators, methods of simplifying calculations were of much interest. In 1617 Napier also published a book describing a method to multiply, divide and extract square roots using a set of bars or rods. These became known as Napier's Bones.

In the late 1800s, Henri Genaille, a French civil engineer, invented an improvement to Napier's Bones that eliminates the need for mental calculations. The problem was posed by Edouard Lucas and thus the alternate name of Genaille-Lucas Rulers (or Rods) .

The process of dividing any integer into a number of any length is reduced to looking up numbers on the rods. Studying how and why these rods work gives real insight into the nature of division.