Why 1 degree corresponds to 60 min?

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In summary, the reason why 1 degree corresponds to 60 minutes is due to historical and practical reasons, rather than logical ones. This system was used by the Sumerians and Babylonians for measuring angles and time, and it was adopted for its ease of division and use in everyday life. The more universal base of 10 does not fully explain this system.
  • #1
ftnunosilva
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I have a doubt: considering it takes 24h to a complete rotation of earth, why 1º corresponds to 60 min? It should be 4 min...

Can you help me?

Thanks you

Nuno Silva
 
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  • #3
So, this "minute" isn't the 1/60 of a hour?
 
  • #4
ftnunosilva said:
So, this "minute" isn't the 1/60 of a hour?
No.

Don't confuse minutes of arc (a measure of angle) with minutes of time.

1 degree = 60 minutes of arc.
 
  • #5
Thank you very much... After reading Around the World in Eighty Days, I became all mixed up! :-)
 
  • #6
These things are not based upon logic, so much as history. Even to very recent times, the English used 12 pence to a shilling, 20 shillings to a pound. This complicates arithmetic, of course, but bookkeepers easily mastered it.

A reason for 60, like 12, is that it is easily divisible. So that in early times, it was used to facilitate making change and dividing up products. (Farmers, even in this country, favor the 12 makes a dozen eggs.) The Sumerians, and then the Babylonians, used the 60 system, but for hours it was 12 in the day and 12 at night. (This is not exactly the same as the 24 hour system, since some days are longer than others.) Where the Sumerians got the idea of 12 hours of daylight, is really hard to say.

I once hear a joke, "How many fingers do the flying saucer people have counting both hands?"

Answer: 10, we just don't know what base they use.

However, that idea, the universality of 10, hardly explains the 12 and 60 system.
 

1. Why is 1 degree equal to 60 minutes?

This is due to the ancient Babylonians' sexagesimal system, which is based on the number 60. They divided a circle into 360 degrees, with each degree further divided into 60 minutes. This system was later adopted and used by many cultures, including the Greeks, who further divided each minute into 60 seconds.

2. How is a degree defined?

A degree is a unit of measurement for angles, which is defined as 1/360th of a full rotation. This means that a complete circle is equivalent to 360 degrees.

3. Why is the number 60 significant in this measurement?

The number 60 was chosen because it has many divisors, making it convenient for dividing angles into smaller units. This was especially useful in ancient times when people did not have sophisticated measuring tools.

4. Has the definition of a degree changed over time?

Yes, the definition of a degree has changed over time. In the past, different cultures had different ways of measuring angles, such as dividing a circle into 365 degrees in ancient Egypt. However, the modern definition of 1/360th of a full rotation was established in the 2nd century BC by the Greek mathematician Hipparchus. This definition is still widely used today.

5. How does the concept of degrees relate to latitude and longitude?

Degrees are used to measure both latitude and longitude on Earth. Latitude lines are parallel to the equator and are measured in degrees north or south of the equator. Longitude lines are measured in degrees east or west of the Prime Meridian. Together, these lines form a grid system that helps us locate and navigate on Earth's surface.

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