Before our discussions in class about Babylonian math and the sexagesimal system, I had not really put much thought into how I perceive time. Of course, when I was younger and just beginning to learn to read the clock, I thought it would be convenient if a quarter of the hour was 25 minutes instead of 15 minutes. When I asked my teacher as why it was different, they told me this was how time was "set up" long long ago and I accepted it as a little blip along the way. I am only now realizing the significance of 60.
I found it really interesting that every eight years a minute has 61 seconds in order for the atomic time to stay consistent with the astronomical sign. There is also an inconsistency between the two articles as the MacTutor one mentions that no civilization came up with base 12 for their counting system but the other article mentions that Egyptians used the duodecimal system as it was easier to count up to 12 on the fingers joints of each hand.
Great points, Manveen. I like the anecdote you shared, and I've certainly met students with the same idea that a quarter of an hour should be 25 minutes, too! It also reminds us how, as students, we often just accept how things are set up in our world. Perhaps now you can explore base 60 with your students when you get asked the same question as a math teacher!
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