Babylon and Their Base 60 Number System
Speculation:
60 is a special number because it can be used in measurements of time. Seconds and minutes are all measured in base 60. Another cool concept is that 60 can be divisible by 1,2,3,4,5 and 6. This makes it so you can separate measurements in base 60 in multiple ways. Whereas in a base 10 format, you can only divide numbers by 1, 2, 5, and 10. Depending on what the Babylonians did with their numbers and mathematics, it might have been more useful to use a base 60 system.
In our culture today, we, as mentioned earlier, use a base 60 counting system solely for the purpose of counting time. We also approximate monthly periods with 30 days at a time.
Research:
In history, the Babylonians, along with other historical cultures, used the 60 based number system for counting time and money. For example, a shekel was 1/60 of a mana. These systems were also used to measure angles, much like they are used today for the very same purpose!
Research Sources
60 is a special number because it can be used in measurements of time. Seconds and minutes are all measured in base 60. Another cool concept is that 60 can be divisible by 1,2,3,4,5 and 6. This makes it so you can separate measurements in base 60 in multiple ways. Whereas in a base 10 format, you can only divide numbers by 1, 2, 5, and 10. Depending on what the Babylonians did with their numbers and mathematics, it might have been more useful to use a base 60 system.
In our culture today, we, as mentioned earlier, use a base 60 counting system solely for the purpose of counting time. We also approximate monthly periods with 30 days at a time.
Research:
In history, the Babylonians, along with other historical cultures, used the 60 based number system for counting time and money. For example, a shekel was 1/60 of a mana. These systems were also used to measure angles, much like they are used today for the very same purpose!
Research Sources
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