Tawa Pukllay Proof: New Method for Solving Arithmetic Operations with The Inca Yupana Using Pattern Recognition and Parallelism
Abstract
Yupana is an Inca device used for arithmetic operations. This article describes a new arithmetical system: Tawa Pukllay (TP), where arithmetic operations do not require mental calculations: no carries, no borrows, no memorization of multiplication tables, nor trial and error procedures for divisions. Instead, user recognizes patterns and makes predefined movements to perform the four basic arithmetic operations very quickly; moreover, the result of the operation can be reached by multiple paths and in parallel, allowing each user to create his own strategies. This paper proves with mathematical rigor that TP produces correct numerical results.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2512.05123,
title = {Tawa Pukllay Proof: New Method for Solving Arithmetic Operations with The Inca Yupana Using Pattern Recognition and Parallelism},
author = {Dhavit Prem and Fernando Sotomayor and Alvaro Saldívar and Rosario Guzman-Jimenez},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.05123},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
10 pages, 7 figures, CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 2022 International Conference on Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (FAIML). Hangzhou, China. ISBN: 978-1-6654-7364-4