The reason our clocks have 60 minutes

The reason our clocks have 60 minutes and our minutes have 60 seconds is because of a mathematical choice made by the ancient Sumerians around 3500 BC.

This civilization in Mesopotamia used a sexagesimal system, which is a numeral system with a base of 60.

They didn't choose this number randomly. The number 60 is highly divisible, meaning it can be evenly divided by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30, and 60.

This quality made it incredibly useful for recording astronomical observations and performing mathematical calculations with fractions. 🕰️

The Babylonians later inherited this system and were the ones who applied it to a 24-hour day, a concept they likely adopted from the Egyptians who divided daytime and nighttime into 12 hours each.

By combining the 24-hour cycle with the base-60 system, the Babylonians established the framework of 60-minute hours and 60-second minutes.

This method of timekeeping was so practical that it was passed on to the Greeks, and subsequently spread throughout the Islamic world and Europe.

This ancient mathematical choice remains embedded in every clock and schedule we use in the modern world. 🗓️

Sources: The Guardian, Madison.com, Hodinkee #AncientMathematics #Timekeeping #SumerianLegacy

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