Why are there 60 minutes in an hour?
The legacy of the ancient Babylonians in our daily lives.
While we use the decimal system almost everywhere, time refuses to follow. Why?
The Sexagesimal System
The ancient Babylonians used base 60. The number 60 is extremely convenient because it is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, and 30.
This practicality allowed for the easy calculation of fractions of time and angles (360 degrees), a tradition we have kept for 4,000 years.