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eNathan
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My guess is that 360 has no mathematical advantage, but it has something to do with 360 (and something) days in a year, or it was derived from some other number of importance.
I stand corrected. In reality Babylonians saw that each day the Sun rose one degree ahead against the background of fixed stars. This is also the origin of the signs of the Zodiac.Integral said:SGT,
That is a very interesting idea, could you elaborate? Consider that the rising sun does not move around the entire horizon over the year, but only a small segment of it. Consider that it moves much slower in the summer and and winter and faster spring in fall.
Humm..., perhaps it was not the sun they were observing but the motion of the more distant stars?
quetzalcoatl9 said:one way that the ancients did this was to build a really high pillar that was balanced. there is one day a year (based upon where you are on the earth) when the sun will pass directly through zenith and the pole won't cast a shadow.
:rofl:the similarity is nothing short of uncanny!
DuncanM said:As a previous poster noted, the number 360 came to us from the ancient Sumerians (via the ancient Greeks, via the Babylonians, via the Sumerians, who supposedly received it from the gods/extraterrestrials who taught mankind all the basics of civilization).
The number 12 was also significant to them.
If you are interested, Zecharia Sitchin has written several books that examine early history and has provided one of the best and most thoroughly documented examinations of very early history. Here is the URL to his website:
http://www.sitchin.com/
Of course, you should not accept one person's opinion as truth but, if nothing else, his books make very fascinating reading. Among the several topics he examines include:
(i) pyramid building (which seemed to become the fashion at several locations on Earth--all at about the same time);
(ii) the Great Deluge (civilizations at several locations around Earth had oral history about a Great Flood--and all of them put the Flood at about the same time);
(iii) the astrology of civilizations at several locations (including China) around Earth seemed very similar, making use of the same constellations and the number 12;
(iv) circumcision of males (the "Celestial Sign" was to copied by being cut into human flesh);
and much more.
In fact, the Imperial system of measure (miles, feet, pounds, etc.) includes much "sacred geometry" that comes to us from the "gods".
His books are to be highly recommended.
Regards,
Duncan
WPlinge said:
The use of 360 degrees in measuring angles dates back to ancient civilizations such as the Babylonians and Egyptians. The number 360 was chosen because it has many different factors, making it easy to divide into smaller units for practical use in navigation, astronomy, and geometry.
The use of 360 degrees is unique to the sexagesimal system, which is based on the number 60. Other systems, such as the decimal system, use 100 as a base and have their own unit of angle measurement, such as the gradian or gon.
Some cultures and religions have attributed symbolic meaning to the number 360, such as representing a complete circle or the number of days in a year. However, there is no concrete evidence to support these claims as the primary reason for using 360 degrees.
The use of 360 degrees does not affect the accuracy of calculations or measurements, as it is simply a convention for measuring angles. However, some argue that using a smaller unit of measurement, such as radians, can make certain calculations and formulas more efficient.
While there have been discussions and proposals to adopt a different unit of angle measurement, such as radians or gradians, there is no significant movement to change the use of 360 degrees. The system is deeply ingrained in mathematics, science, and everyday life, making it unlikely to change in the near future.