3 ms·
I'm saying that the base 60 Babylonian system is derived from how many fingers people have on each hand and how many segments per finger, not because it's a fan
by cduzz 3y ago
I'm saying that the base 60 Babylonian system is derived from how many fingers people have on each hand and how many segments per finger, not because it's a fantastic base because it's got lots of whole divisors.
If people were Disney cartoon characters (3 fingers + thumb) they'd likely have used base 36 (9 segments, 4 total digits on other hand).
And yes -- by having a mixed system like this you'll end up with more divisors than if you only count digits.
- foota 3y agoYes, I agree. I'm saying it's not a coincidence that 60 has many divisors, but rather an artifact of the way it was derived. I don't think we disagree.