Tally marks
Tally marks record quantities as repeated strokes, often grouped in fives so totals can be counted quickly and checked at a glance.
Unary numeral system: A numeral system that represents each quantity with one repeated symbol per unit. Tally marks are a familiar unary notation, with grouping added to aid reading.
Ishango bone: A prehistoric bone tool from Central Africa bearing groups of incised marks, often discussed in histories of counting. Its grouped notches are among the best-known early objects interpreted as tally records.
Attendance register: A record of which people are present at a class, meeting, or event. A tally can summarize attendance without requiring a separate entry for every person.
Number system: A set of symbols and rules for representing numbers and performing operations with them. Tally marks are a simple way to represent number before or alongside more compact systems.
Five-bar gate tally: A tally notation in which four parallel strokes are crossed by a fifth stroke to mark a group of five. The crossing stroke makes each completed group visible without recounting every mark.
Lebombo bone: A baboon fibula from southern Africa, dated to the Upper Paleolithic, with a series of incised notches. The notches are a prominent early example of marks that may have recorded quantities.
Vote counting: The process of determining and recording the number of votes cast for each choice. Tally marks can track votes as ballots or spoken choices are counted.
Roman numerals: A numeral system from ancient Rome that uses letters such as I, V, X, L, C, D, and M. Roman numerals use distinct symbols and combination rules rather than one stroke per unit.
Subitizing: The rapid, accurate recognition of small quantities without counting each item individually. Small tally groups can often be recognized at a glance rather than counted stroke by stroke.
Lunar calendar: A calendar based on the phases of the Moon, whose cycle lasts about 29.5 days. One interpretation of prehistoric notched bones is that they tracked days or lunar cycles.