60/Historical Note

Historical Note on $60$ (Sixty)

There are $60$ seconds in a minute.

There are $60$ minutes of time in an hour, and $60$ minutes of angle in a degree.

These divisions date back to the time of the Babylonians, who used a $60$-based number system for their mathematics and astronomy.

Also see

• Definition:Sexagesimal System

Sources

• 1986: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Numbers ... (previous) ... (next): $60$
• 1997: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Numbers (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): $60$