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A tally counter is a mechanical, electronic, or software device used to incrementally count something, typically fleeting. One of the most common things tally counters are used for is counting people, animals, or things that are coming and going from some location.
Description
A tally counter is usually cased in metal and is cylindrical in shape. Part of the circle is flattened out and contains a window of plastic or glass. Inside the counter are a number of rings with the numbers from 0 to 9 in descending order going clockwise. Most counters have four such rings, allowing the user to count up to 9999. A metal ring may be attached to aid in holding the counter, and usually half the ring is bent to allow it to fold flush with the counter when not in use. The counter is activated by pressing a button located above the screen. This causes the first ring to advance one number. After the count has reached 0009, then the second ring will advance one click and the first ring will come back to zero displaying 0010. To reset the counter, a knob is located on the side. This knob turns all the rings which are displaying the same number (usually zero). When the number displayed reaches the number on the remaining rings, then they will turn too, until the display is reset back to 0000. (Analogodometer
An odometer or odograph is an instrument used for measuring the distance traveled by a vehicle, such as a bicycle or car. The device may be electronic, mechanical, or a combination of the two (electromechanical). The noun derives from ancient Gr ...
s in vehicles operate in a similar fashion.)
Electronic tally counters are available, which use an LCD screen to display the count, and a button to advance the count. Some also have a button to decrement the count, for example if a mistake is made, or if counting a majority.
Uses
The main application of tally counters is aspeople counter A people counter is an electronic device that is used to measure the number of people traversing a certain passage or entrance. Examples include simple manual clickers, smart-flooring technologies, infrared beams, thermal imaging systems, WiFi track ...
s. At concerts, stadiums, etc., a person will stand by the door with a tally counter recording the number of people that enter. At amusement parks
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
, the rides can only hold a certain number of people, so the operator may use a tally counter to keep track of the number of people who get on the ride. They are also used for traffic analysis, scientific research, counting inventory and on industrial lines as well.
Tally counters have also been used in religion to count prayers, often replacing traditional prayer beads. Shri Vidya
Shri Vidya (ISO: '; ; sometimes also spelled Sri Vidya or Shree Vidya) is a Hindu Tantric religious system devoted to the Goddess as Lalitā Tripurasundarī (''Beautiful Goddess of the Three worlds''), Bhuvaneshvari, Maha Lakshmi, etc. A thousan ...
initiates often use them to keep track of the number of repetitions of the Mula Mantra into which they are initiated. Sikh
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
s may use them to keep track of the number of times they chant the Mul Mantar
The Mūl Mantar ( pa, ਮੂਲ ਮੰਤਰ, ) is the opening verse of the Sikh scripture, the ''Guru Granth Sahib''. It consists of thirteen words in the Punjabi language, written in Gurmukhi script, and are the most widely known among the Si ...
. Buddhists
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
sometimes use them to count mantra
A mantra (Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ma ...
s, Buddha-recitations, etc. Gaudiya Vaishnava
Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal, with Vaishnavism meanin ...
Hindus may use tally counters to keep track of the number of times that they chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Initiated devotees are required to chant at least 16 rounds each day, each round consisting of 108 repetitions.
See also
*Mechanical counter
Mechanical counters are digital counters built using mechanical components. Long before electronics became common, mechanical devices were used to count events. They typically consist of a series of disks mounted on an axle, with the digits zero ...
*Row counter (hand knitting)
A row counter for hand knitting is a tally counter for counting rows or courses worked, for counting stitch pattern repetitions, or for counting increases or decreases of the number of stitches in consecutive rows. The first commercially prod ...
{{Commons category, Knitting row counters
Counting instruments
Mechanical calculators