Why are there 24 hours a day and 60 minutes an hour?

Have you ever wondered why a wristwatch tied to your arm (assuming you're still using one) or any other watch shows 12 digits that stands for 12 watches? Why isn't there a different random number, like 28 or 16? Why is the number twelve important in our perception of time? I mean, if you think about it, you can't deny that our timekeeping system is fairly heterogeneous. Let me explain:

24 hours are divided into two parts: the day is 12 hours and the night is 12 hours.

One hour has 60 minutes, which also has 60 seconds each.

Now, this seems like a strange way to divide the day. No wonder children have a hard time learning how to tell the time! But, as with everything else in the world, there is also an explanation for this.

The influence of civilization on timekeeping

In today's world, we use the decimal system (base 10), which is believed to have arisen because it made it easier for us to count things with our fingers.

Back then, when humans were still exploring the wonders of nature and finding answers to their myriad questions, many other digital systems were commonly used. The Egyptians and Babylonians, who today were first divided into smaller parts, used twelve-digit systems (base 12) and sexagesimal (base 60).

Obviously, this begs the question: why base 12 and base 60? The reason is simple, but it may surprise many.

Yes, believe it or not, the structure of our fingers is precisely to blame! The number of finger joints in each hand (except the thumb) makes it possible to count to 12 using the thumb. Surprised by this simple explanation? Well, things are going to get a little more complicated...

Why 24 hours?

Let's try to understand this step by step. The concept of the 24-hour day comes from the ancient Egyptians. They divided the day into 10 hours with devices like shadow clocks and then added one hour at each end (one for twilight and one at the end of the day). Later, the Egyptians made a T-shaped tape, which was calibrated to divide the time between sunrise and sunset into 12 parts. This T-shaped tool displays time by casting a shadow on one of these 12 parts based on the position of the sun in the sky.

However, this system worked well during the day when the sun was present. The absence of sunlight made it difficult to determine the time at night. It is interesting to know how they approach this challenge.

Decimal – adjust the time using stars

The ancient Egyptians used stars to calculate the time at night. They did this by paying close attention to a group of 36 special stars called "decimals." These stars rose in the sky in a specific pattern and were used to track the hours. However, only about 12 of the 36 stars were visible at a given time, and the stars that appeared changed with the seasons and calendar year.

The Egyptians made special tables called star calendars to track the time using the stars correctly. These charts have 36 columns per decimal and 12 rows per hour that can be counted overnight.

Eventually, this timekeeping process was standardized with days and nights, each consisting of 12 hours. However, this system only works well during the equinox, when the sun is directly above the equator, dividing day and night into equal lengths. At other times, the length of the clock may vary. For example, daylight hours in summer will be longer, while in winter they will be shorter.

However, at that time, the clocks did not have a specific length. Greek astronomers who were then trying to find answers to questions of the universe, existence, stars and galaxies (in short... Astronomers) found it difficult to manage calculations in the prevailing way. The Greek mathematician Hipparchus then gave us the "equinox hours" by proposing to divide the day into 24 equal hours. Even then, for a long time, ordinary people continued to use seasonally variable working hours. It remained so until the fourteenth century in Europe, when mechanical watches began to be used, and the general public began to use the system we practice today.

Why 60 minutes and 60 seconds?

The Greek astronomers who helped us make life easier by dividing 24 hours equally followed the Babylonian system of 60 (rule 60) of astronomical calculations. So, to make it easier, they divided the watch into 60 minutes and every minute into 60 seconds. It is not known why the Babylonians used the base system of 60, but it may be because 60 is a special number for fraction calculations. It is the smallest number divisible by the first six counting numbers and by 10,12,15, 20 and 30. In fact, we borrowed this idea from the Babylonians not only to calculate time but also to calculate degrees in geometry. This is also why the circle has 360 degrees instead of a number that may seem more intuitive, such as 10 or 100.

Now, isn't that interesting? The elegant ideas of our ancestors still govern our daily lives thousands of years later. Go now, boast of your newly growing knowledge of time, and make the best of it!