A simple question..........

[Rifleman]

So in pondering time this morning......I came to question myself about time.......

Why do we use 60 minutes to represent one hour and not some base 10 scale like metric linear measure ?......and no, lets not get into sidereal time used by astronomers for inter-stellar space distance calculations...........lets just keep our feet firmly planted here on the ground.........

Modern convention divides the day into 24 hours, each hour into 60 minutes, each minute into 60 seconds.

I can totally understand that the hour is the time taken to represent one rotation of the earth, but why 24 hours in the first place ?......but this being accepted, why in the world is each one of these units of time (the hour) divided by 60 (for minutes), and then again by 60 (for seconds).....? ? ?  ???    ???    ???

[Pinchaser...]

im not a math major...so i don't even know where to start!! ahhh

[denishc]

 I think it has something to do with how long it takes the Earth to rotate one degree.

[Hagar]

Very interesting. I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for the units. I supects it's something to do with angles rather than linear measurement. 60 minutes = 1 degree etc. The earliest method of measuring time was with a sundial.

The Metric system (based on units of 10) wasn't in general use until quite recently. (I always blamed that little Frenchman for it.) Prior to that all units of measurement were based on natural things, like one inch being the length of the first joint of a man's thumb. A tradesman can measure something reasonably accurately using the Imperial system without any tools, gauges or other artificial aids. I can remember drapers measuring cloth by the old trick of holding it up to their nose with the other arm outstretched, This would be one yard (3 feet) & quite fascinating to watch an experienced person do it. This wouldn't be allowed now but with the little bit extra "for luck" they always gave you it was perfectly acceptable to customers & surprisingly accurate. I don't remember anyone complaining about being cheated.

I don't know the origin of the dozen (units of 12) but it goes way back in history & might have something to do with the number of hours in a day. Even in the days of the GPS, navigation is still based on minutes & seconds. We were discussing only the other day that 1 nautical mile = 1 minute of latitude.

This is why I always had difficulty with visualising metric measurements. They don't seem to be based on anything natural, in fact I consider them most unnatural.

[Jared]

[quote]

[Pinchaser...]

the answer is root beer  ;D

[eno]

And here was me thinking that the answer to any unfathomable  and insurmountable question was.....

42

[Saitek]

I was always told with maths.. It's always logical and everything can be proved. But with maths you just have to accept that certain things are the way they are and they can't be explained! I know that Napolean tried to change the unit of time, but it didn't work so they had to stoick with the old way!

[Hagar]

I know that Napolean tried to change the unit of time, but it didn't work so they had to stoick with the old way!

That's the little Frenchman I was referring to. He has a lot to answer for including confusing all the old codgers like me.

Why can't some people accept things as they are instead of continually wanting to change them? These things worked perfectly well for years & I never heard anyone complain about it. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

PS. Like most people have a pretty good idea of how long a second or a minute is, even without a watch or clock. Imagine what it would be like if "they" suddenly decided to change it to metric. 10 hours in a day instead of 12 & 100 minutes in 1 hour instead of 60 etc. Now you might understand my problem with centimetres & grams when for the best part of my life I've been thinking & working in inches & pounds. 1 inch is still 1 inch however much they might like me to think otherwise.

[Saitek]

Hi Doug!
I didn't read your post... so I missed what you said.
But I love that saying, If it ain'tbroke, Don't fix it!.  ;D

[Hagar]

[quote]Hi Doug!
I didn't read your post... so I missed what you said.
But I love that saying, If it ain'tbroke, Don't fix it!.

[Saitek]

Well I was in a hurry, so I only read the original post.. , I usually read them all though.
Yeah, I have met that saying before, we use it in our house but it's a firm favourite with me.

[Woodlouse2002]

10 hours in a day instead of 12

I'd love to know what planet you're living on Hagar...

[Hagar]

I'd love to know what planet you're living on Hagar...

Well you would also have 10 hours in the night. I ain't so stoopid as some people seem to think. Oh, I don't know though.

[Rifleman]

Very interesting. I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for the units. I supects it's something to do with angles rather than linear measurement. 60 minutes = 1 degree etc. The earliest method of measuring time was with a sundial.

Then even given this bit of info, why would a degree come to be 60 minutes ?

......but  back to the original question, why would we (our enlightened forefathers) have chosen to use 60 mins and 60 seconds in their endeavor to provide a stable base for the future time ponderers........once again, I repeat, since we all naturally have 10 fingers, ten toes, etc, why not use that one and leave the decimal place in, to make things easy, rather than start again after 58, 59, 60 - we all do use 0-9 for our normal counting system (in the English world anyway).......?