We are all familiar with dividing our days into 24 hours and our hours into 60 minutes. But why do we use these particular units for measuring time?
To understand the units of time we need to investigate the number systems of ancient civilizations. How did the Sumerians count to 12 on one hand and to 60 on two? What advances did the Babylonians make and how did they use this number system for measurement? And what refinements did the Egyptians make to time measurement to give us the system we still use today?
It is easy to see the origins of a decimal (base 10) number system. Our hands have 10 digits to count on, so a decimal system follows naturally. With the addition of the toes on our feet a vigesimal (base 20) number system, like that of the Maya, also makes sense. But understanding a sexagesimal (base 60) number system, as used by the Sumerians, takes a little more thought.
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there’s a cool way of learning 9 x tables on your hands. Very cool. Always wondered too why the lunar cycle is the same time as the menstral cycle.
As a kid I remember arguing with my dad about this. We got into the whole discussion about how sometimes structures are quite intuative (360 days-ish in a year, for example) and how it fits in with natural cycles and how some time-frames seem to be totally arbitary (7 days in a week?). The 60 minutes thing…we came to the conclusion that it’s naturally a number that fits into other numbers and that other numbers can fit into. The whole thing about using dozens was similar – your basic numbers (2,3,4 & 6) fit in quite nicely and it makes the maths very easy. I remember my dad explaining that the whole donzens thing came from the Danes a while back but I never checked with anyone else what they thought and the net wasn’t around…might check on wiki now…goodbye the next 2 hours of my life…
BTW…I’m voting Derren for primeminister at the next election, so if you could run for office, that would be just super.
So, would the invention of what we see today as playing cards be from the same era?
52 cards in a deck
52 weeks in a year
4 suits
4 seasons
365 pips
365 days
…and just one penis. The world is not fair at all!
People back then can have used objects and carving tools and such as well (will have), in stead of their hands. Seems more practical to me. Although the pointing thumb and sections of fingers are a nice system … I take it that they wrote the numbers on these sections with their bic pen .. at least the young kids who constantly forgot whether it started at the upper section or the lowest ..
Maybe those were deaf back then? Ehehehe …
Oh well …
Nowadays we use a complete different counting system with our hands .. all kids do it … (aint it cute to see how much trouble it costs them to put a few fingers down in their hand … it’s not even the counting itself .. asks for good motor skills … ). These ancient systems would be a nice addition to a lesson in class though. Kinda cool I think, they might find that. Like a secret coded language ..
I have this nifty object here on which little squares are placed .. … and voila .. 1 + 1 = 2 it says!!! Hooray! Who needs to be able to calculate!
What? Battery? Then we just stop working … no big deal ..
Great post, Ive often wondered that too, as well as – why is there 360 degrees in a circle ?
hm, what is a minute? In real life … humans dont measure time theirselves like a clock … although the sun would start to control our lifes quite simple again, without clocks (and dont we all sometimes, if there is no time on a watch or clock available, try to estemate the time .. and weird enough .. we do come quite close quite often .. probably also due to the fact that we are still on to clockwork on the inside as well .. if you switch states a bit too often without keeping track in the back .. you’ll loose track of time as well … on the inside .. we loose track of our ‘hands’ on the plate …
The way we experience time … is kinda surreal ..
I remember time being explained a bit different than in the post though….
It keeps being a human invention ofcourse .. so we can all use our own .. if we wish .. although it may lead to certain type of complications hee and there, now and then …
clock … 360 degrees …. the circle of life … how wonderfull it is and so usefull ……
Nah …
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