- Advertisement -
Daily-Story
  • Human & Animal
  • Science & Facts
  • Planet & Travel
Daily-Story
- Advertisement -

Why are there 60 seconds in a minute?

by Emory West
September 20, 2021
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

You may have heard that time is a concept. This idea really comes from the fact that time, in essence, is a man-made construct to help us understand the relativities of the world. Why then, if man created time did we have to make it so complicated? Why have 24 hours in a day, why have 60 minutes in an hour? Why have 60 seconds in a minute?

There is actually some debate as to whether the time is a concept at all. There are two schools of thought, one that suggests time is a tool by which we understand our universe. The other which suggests that time itself is a dimension (the 4th dimension) and the tools are the minutes, seconds, and hours that we have placed on it to help us understand. Whatever the answer it is certainly clear that at least, time is relative. If you have ever gone skydiving or jumped off a cliff you will know exactly how slow a few seconds can go. 

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

The Egyptians were the first ones to split the day up into smaller parts. They divided a day into 24 blocks 12 for the day and 12 for the night. They used the sun to mark out the hours in the day and the stars at night. It still took until the 14th century until a standard agreed-upon time was introduced. The Samarians were the first to introduce the base of 60 in time supposedly because it was easily divisible without resulting in fractions as you can have 4X15, 2X30,6X10.

While the base of 60 has been widely used since its inception and is still used today the French did try to change the game during their revolution. In 1792 the French began splitting the day into 10 hours, each hour had 100 minutes, each minute had 100 seconds. Decimal time is beautiful to look at because it is so easy to interpret. If you say you will meet your friend in 1.25 hours, they likely assume you mean 1 hour and a quarter. In the current standard time, that means 60 minutes + 15 minutes, so 75 minutes. Your friend could be confused and meet you in 1 hour and 25 minutes time. With decimals, if you say 1.25 hours that is the same as 125 minutes. The system was largely associated with the French revolution and was abolished in 1805. Yet it appears to be a much better system.

However, for the same reason that your keyboard will now always be a QWERTY one even though there are more efficient places to locate the keys, time will now always be a 24-hour system, even though there may be a more efficient system to use. People are animals who love things how they are, change is always tough to enforce and for now, we will have to make our 24-hour system work.

- Advertisement -

Related Posts

A 99-Character Name: Fact or Fiction?
Science & Facts

A 99-Character Name: Fact or Fiction?

July 26, 2022

We all know that a name is a crucial identifier for any individual. But what happens when an individual is given a 99-character name? Will it still serve the purpose? Well, you’ll agree that it’s not easy to memorize...

This is why we use abbreviations to make names shorter
Science & Facts

This is why we use abbreviations to make names shorter

July 24, 2022

Names and pronunciation, well, many people have confusion and question upon why Hank is short for name henry? Why Colonel is pronounced as Kernel and why we say Stat when we want something to be done quickly. Today we’ll...

How to reduce bloat when you travel
Science & Facts

How to reduce bloat when you travel

July 18, 2022

There are many side effects to travel that are pretty annoying. One that we are all aware of is jet lag. When you cross time zones your body often makes you pay a high price for it and can...

- Advertisement -

Our Daily Community

daily_story_com

276

daily_story_com

daily_story_com

View

Aug 7

Open
Just a girl who loves horses.

Just a girl who loves horses. ...

daily_story_com

View

Aug 5

Open
The wings of hope carry us high over the winds of life.

The wings of hope carry us high over the winds of life. ...

daily_story_com

View

Aug 3

Open
Don’t look at me so much.. You will be fallen in love with me.. I am a bird.

Don’t look at me so much.. You will be fallen in love with me.. I am a bird. ...

daily_story_com

View

Aug 1

Open
Hello, gorgeous deer!

Hello, gorgeous deer! ...

daily_story_com

View

Jul 30

Open
I love my pup furry much.

I love my pup furry much. ...

daily_story_com

View

Jul 27

Open
Sending positive vibes your way!

Sending positive vibes your way! ...

daily_story_com

View

Jul 21

Open
Just livin’ life

Just livin’ life ...

daily_story_com

View

Jul 13

Open
Today's good mood is sponsored by coffee and book!

Today's good mood is sponsored by coffee and book! ...

daily_story_com

View

Jul 12

Open
#countryside #harvest #farmer #agriculturelife

#countryside #harvest #farmer #agriculturelife ...

daily_story_com

View

Jul 12

Open
Hi friends! 👋

Hi friends! 👋 ...

daily_story_com

View

Jul 6

Open
Success doesn't rush. The greatest reward is the journey!

Success doesn't rush. The greatest reward is the journey! ...

daily_story_com

View

Jul 4

Open
#cityarchitecture #skyscrapers #cityview

#cityarchitecture #skyscrapers #cityview ...

daily_story_com

View

Jul 1

Open
Lions in the tree.

Lions in the tree. ...

daily_story_com

View

Jun 23

Open
Elephants are magnificent creatures.

#nature #elephant

Elephants are magnificent creatures.

#nature #elephant
...

daily_story_com

View

Jun 21

Open
#blue

#blue ...

daily_story_com

View

Oct 25

Open
Instagram post 17894126900435866

...

daily_story_com

View

Oct 6

Open
Instagram post 17888151713355559

...

daily_story_com

View

Sep 15

Open
Instagram post 17952666064506340

...

daily_story_com

View

Aug 26

Open
Instagram post 17883278990362537

...

daily_story_com

View

Aug 9

Open
Instagram post 18156117067162358

...

Load More... Follow on Instagram

Receive Our Daily Newsletter

    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Trending Now

    A little insight into Tupac’s short life
    Human & Animal

    A little insight into Tupac’s short life

    August 6, 2022
    The Unwritten Rules of Plane Travel
    Planet & Travel

    The Unwritten Rules of Plane Travel

    August 4, 2022
    • About us
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Disclaimer

    © Daily-Story

    • Planet & Travel
    • Human & Animal
    • Science & Facts