Degrees & Minutes: Explaining the 360º System

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The discussion addresses the confusion surrounding the division of degrees and minutes in the 360º system, particularly why 1º equals 60 minutes instead of 4 minutes, given that Earth completes a rotation in 24 hours. It highlights that the term "minute" derives from the Latin word for "small," indicating a tradition of using fractions like 1/60. The term "second" refers to the "second minute," further emphasizing the base-60 system. Participants express frustration over the outdated nature of these units compared to the more coherent metric system. The conversation ultimately questions the lack of unification in scientific measurements despite efforts to unify scientific principles.
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A little birdy who is apparently too shy to post asks the following:

I have a doubt: considering the 360º for earth, and if it takes 24h to a complete rotation, why 1º corresponds to 60 min? It should be 4 min...
 
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I agree. It is a tradition as sensless and outdated as the mile and the pint.

I believe that the source of it is something along these lines: The word "minute" means small, and I guess a tradition is that 1/60 is a small fraction of something. A second is actually short for the "second minute" or the "second small fraction" so 1/60 of a minute. So 1/60 of anything is a "minute" fraction and 1/3600 of anything is a "second minute" fraction.
 
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So a degree is ten "second minutes" of a circle.
 
mks is such a beautiful system except the base-60 and base-24 time.

I had a fellow physics major who always asked why we are trying to unify science but we haven't bothered to unify the units yet.
 

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