4 ms·

Can someone clarify the calculation in the given example? What are stuff like “8,20”?

• ta1234567890 6y ago
  FTA: > In this case, 50 stands for 5/6 and 8,20 stands for 8 1/2
  • unanswered 6y ago
    Except this is clearly a typo (it's not clear whose), and the real values are 5/6 and 8 1/3 as mentioned in another comment. So you win a point for demonstrating you read the article, and lose fifty for demonstrating you didn't grasp its meaning here.
• herodotus 6y ago
  Babylonians used a base-60 number system. Here is the wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexagesimal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexagesimal 8,20 is 8+20/60 = 8 1/3
  • hprotagonist 6y ago
    we do too. Though these days it’s mostly for time only.
    • jonsen 6y ago
      “...and is still used—in a modified form—for measuring time, angles, and geographic coordinates.”