"It may be asked, What led to the invention of the sexagesimal system? Why was it that 60 parts were selected? ...Cantor offers the following theory: At first the Babylonians reckoned the year at 360 days. This led to the division of the circle into 360 degrees, each degree representing the daily amount of the supposed yearly revolution of the sun around the earth. Now they were, very probably, familiar with the fact that the radius can be applied to its circumference as a chord 6 times, and that each of these chords subtends an arc measuring exactly 60 degrees. Fixing their attention upon these degrees, the division into 60 parts may have suggested itself to them. Thus, when greater precision necessitated a subdivision of the degree, it was partitioned into 60 minutes."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
p. 7.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/A_History_of_Mathematics
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
A History of Mathematics
A History of Mathematics by Florian Cajori was the first popular history of mathematics written in the United States. It was published in 1893.
172 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by A History of Mathematics →
Related Quotes
"The contemplation of the various steps by which mankind has come into possession of the vast stock of mathematical kn…"
"The chemist smiles at the childish efforts of alchemists but the mathematician finds the geometry of the Greeks and t…"
"[Mathematics] warns us against hasty conclusions; it points out the importance of a good notation upon the progress o…"
"An untold amount of intellectual energy has been expended on the quadrature of the circle, yet no conquest has been m…"
"Another reason for the desirability of historical study is the value of historical knowledge to the teacher of mathem…"
"The interest which pupils take in their studies may be greatly increased if the solution of problems and the cold log…"
"A class in arithmetic will be pleased to hear about the Hindoos and their invention of the "Arabic notation;" they wi…"
"After the pupils have learned how to bisect a given angle, surprise them by telling of the many futile attempts which…"
"When they [students] know how to construct a square whose area is double the area of a given square, tell them about …"
"After the class have exhausted their energies on the theorem of the right triangle, tell them something about its dis…"