The beads are first arranged to represent a number, then are manipulated to perform a mathematical operation with another number, and their final position can be read as the result (or can be used as the starting number for subsequent operations).
ðə bˈiːdz ɑːɹ fˈɜːst ɚɹˈeɪndʒd tə ɹˌɛpɹᵻzˈɛnt ɐ nˈʌmbɚ, ðˈɛn ɑːɹ mənˈɪpjʊlˌeɪɾᵻd tə pɚfˈɔːɹm ɐ mˌæθɪmˈæɾɪkəl ˌɑːpɚɹˈeɪʃən wɪð ɐnˈʌðɚ nˈʌmbɚ, ænd ðɛɹ fˈaɪnəl pəzˈɪʃən kæn biː ɹˈɛd æz ðə ɹɪzˈʌlt ɔːɹ kæn biː jˈuːzd æz ðə stˈɑːɹɾɪŋ nˈʌmbɚ fɔːɹ sˈʌbsᵻkwənt ˌɑːpɚɹˈeɪʃənz.