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crays
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Hi, I'm just wondering why is a circle 360 degree? Why not put it 400 for easy calculation?
crays said:Hi, I'm just wondering why is a circle 360 degree? Why not put it 400 for easy calculation?
A bit of both, they had symbols for 1 and 10 (like the romans) but use them to count up to 60 then went to the next column ( 60 is handy for doing division because it divides by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, and 30) so a hundred would be 1 '60' and 4 '10'scrays said:The babylonians count in base of 60, meant that they go from their 1 to 60 before going to our 10?
How would that result in easier calculation? 400 is not even divisible by 3.crays said:Hi, I'm just wondering why is a circle 360 degree? Why not put it 400 for easy calculation?
It does in navigation, a 16 point compass rose (ENE etc) divide conveniently into 400 but not 360Preno said:How would that result in easier calculation? 400 is not even divisible by 3.
Preno said:How would that result in easier calculation? 400 is not even divisible by 3.
It's easier to count to 12 on your fingers than 10 !nirax said:so the ancients which were closer to monkeys than us and didn't have the (dis)advantage of MS Excell wouldn't know how to count till 12 with only 10 fingers ...
Preno said:How would that result in easier calculation? 400 is not even divisible by 3.
Who uses yards as a measurement of anything? :uhh:g_edgar said:Aha! Some obscure country STILL maintains that a yard subdivided into 36 inches is far superior to a meter subdivided into 100 centimeters...
American football for one.DaveC426913 said:Who uses yards as a measurement of anything? :uhh:
It would be a daunting task to fly a probe to Mars too. After a few crashes, I wonder of converting to the same system as the rest of the world might look more appealing.Mark44 said:It would be a daunting task to convert all of these property descriptions.
But if you converted to metric American football could be exported.Mark44 said:American football for one.
Sure it's a lot of effort to send a probe to Mars, but there is at least the advantage of advancing human knowledge. There is no such similar advantage in converting all the US property descriptions.DaveC426913 said:It would be a daunting task to fly a probe to Mars too. After a few crashes, I wonder of converting to the same system as the rest of the world might look more appealing.
Mark44 said:Sure it's a lot of effort to send a probe to Mars, but there is at least the advantage of advancing human knowledge. There is no such similar advantage in converting all the US property descriptions.
A circle is 360 degrees because it is based on the number system we use, which is based on the number 10. Specifically, it is based on the number of degrees in a right angle, which is 90 degrees. A circle has four right angles, so when you multiply 90 degrees by 4, you get 360 degrees.
Yes, there is a mathematical reason for a circle being 360 degrees. The number 360 has many factors, making it a convenient number for calculations. For example, 360 can be divided evenly by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 24, 30, 36, 40, 45, 60, 72, 90, 120, 180, and 360. This makes it easier to divide a circle into equal parts for measurements and calculations.
The number 360 became associated with a circle because of its divisibility and its practicality for calculations. It is also believed that ancient civilizations, such as the Babylonians and Egyptians, used a sexagesimal number system (based on the number 60) which influenced the use of 360 degrees in measuring circles.
A circle is not divided into 100 degrees because it would not be practical or useful for calculations. As mentioned earlier, 360 has many more factors than 100, making it a more convenient number for calculations. Additionally, dividing a circle into 100 equal parts would result in smaller and less precise measurements compared to dividing it into 360 equal parts.
Yes, there are some cultures that use a different number of degrees for a circle. For example, the ancient Greeks used a 360-day calendar, which may have influenced their use of 360 degrees in mathematics. Some cultures also use a 365-day calendar, which can result in a circle being divided into 365 degrees. However, the 360-degree system is the most widely used and accepted method for measuring angles in mathematics and science.