Origins of the 360 Degree Circle Convention

[jobyts]

Where did the 360 degree for a circle convention come from? By any chance, is it from the ~360 days for the Earth to revolve around the sun?

 

[mathman]

Could be. 360 deg. seems to come from the ancient Babylonians.

 

[HallsofIvy]

The Babylonians used a numeration system based on multiples of 60. That, together with the fact that 365 is close to 360 influenced the choice.

 

[Irrational]

they worked in base 60 didn't they?

*got there too late*

 

[mathman]

they worked in base 60 didn't they?

*got there too late*

Yes. That's how we get 60 sec. = 1 min. and 60 min. = 1 hr. for time, and also 60 sec. = 1 min. and 60 min = 1 deg. for angle.