It is only in the movement of the bead that gives it a numeric value. The inner beads on the abacus must move downwards in order to have a value of 5. The outer beads must move upwards to have a value of 1. A bead that does not move has no value.
The direction that each stonecutter is facing is a clue to the correct arrangement of beads.
Notice the small bumps at the center of the abacus board in front of each statue.
In your mind, place each stonecutter statue in the center of the abacus board and draw an imaginary line in the direction it faces. Extend that imaginary line to the bumps in front of the statue. You should arrange the beads for each statue to match the number of those bumps (for example, if the statue, in your mind's eye, placed in the center of the board faces 3 bumps, then you should arrange the beads for that statue to equal 3).
