Why are there 60 seconds in a minute, and 24 hours in a day, and not 100 or 1000, as in conventional units, such as meters or kilograms? In fact, they seem to be elementary questions, but if you are asked them, will you find what to answer? If you hesitate, then read our article to dispel all doubts.
Why are there 24 hours in a day?
To answer the question of why 60 seconds in a minute, one should turn to the history of the two greatest civilizations - Mesopotamia and Egypt. The fact is that the Egyptians used the duodecimal system of calculation, and not decimal, as we are used to. Time was divided into intervals according to the duodecimal system. The mythology of Ancient Egypt says that the day belonged to one kingdom of being, and the night to another. Therefore, day and night were divided into 12 equal parts. The day was called the time from sunrise to sunset, the night - from sunset to sunrise. Initially, the duration of these peculiar “hours” depended on the duration of night and daytime, and only on the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes did each of the 24 parts have an equalduration.
Why are there 60 seconds in a minute?
The people of Babylon went even further. Their numbering system was based not on the number 12, but on 60. It survived the civilization of Mesopotamia and then came to the taste of Ancient Greece. Ancient scientists created a system of geographical coordinates based on the number 60. The circle was divided into 360 degrees, then each degree was divided into 60 "first small parts" (partes minutae primae), each "first small", in turn, was divided into another 60 "second small parts" (partes minutae secundae). And so it turns out that the word "minute" comes from the Latin word "first", and "second" - from the word "second". For many centuries, the hour has been the smallest unit of time. Only with the advent of the clock did it become possible to measure smaller parts of time. They took minutes and seconds from geography, taking the number 60.
Interesting facts about the number 60
We figured out why there are 60 seconds in a minute. The facts show that over time, the use of the sexagesimal system has only expanded. Let's take a closer look at this point:
- A 60-based system is more convenient than duodecimal.
- Division into 60 parts was beneficial for merchants who kept score on a large number of goods.
- Some researchers insist that in ancient times it would still be more convenient to divide by 5 or 10.
- Despite the disagreements between scientists, the Babylonian calculus took root well in ancient times, and then smoothly migrated to Europe.
- PeakThe development of the system based on the number 60 falls on the Middle Ages. It was used in all exact sciences: algebra, geometry, astronomy.
- During the Modern Era, decimal fractions began to gain popularity.
Today, the number 60 is used in a very small number of areas: the measurement of time and coordinates. Dividing an hour into 60 minutes became much later, with the advent of more accurate chronometers.
Curious facts about the number 12
- The number 12 has been very closely associated with time and time space for many centuries. All calendars and watches are based on this number: there are 12 months in a year, there are 12 signs of the Zodiac, there are 5 x 12 minutes in an hour.
- Part of the small intestine is the duodenum. It is 12 inches long.
- There are 360 degrees in a circle. And 360 is 12 times thirty.
- The ancient unit of length is a foot equal to twelve inches.
- There are twelve cranial nerves in the human body.
- The number 12 has six divisors: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12. In addition, it can be divided into half, third, quarter, three quarters and two thirds.
- The number twelve is very well seen in mythology and religion. So, for example, Hercules had 12 labors, there were 12 gods on Olympus, there were 12 apostles in the Bible, and Jacob had 12 sons.
- The keyboard has a total of twelve function buttons (from F1 to F12).
- A total of twelve astronauts landed on the moon.
- A human has twelve ribs.
- During the tri althere is a 12-member jury.
- The flag of the European Union is decorated with twelve golden stars.
Interesting historical features about time and clocks
We answered the question of why there are 60 seconds in a minute. There are a lot of (interesting) facts of time. Let's dwell on the most interesting of them:
- The name of the software developer for organizations 1C means "1 second". This means that programs need 1 second to perform any action.
- Earlier, the word "moment" meant a time period of one and a half minutes. This measure of time was used in Old England.
- All clocks run clockwise, that is, from left to right. This is because the shadow of the sundial goes in the same direction.
- Time zones were introduced only in the nineteenth century. After the advent of rail transport, they needed to be introduced for scheduling trains.
- China is divided into four time zones. But by government decree, the entire country lives in the same time zone as Beijing.
It's impossible to know everything about watches, and "why there are 60 seconds in a minute" is one of the questions that can be answered by just going a little deeper into history.
