Every time you look at a clock, you're using a system that is thousands of years old.
A minute has:
60 seconds
An hour has:
60 minutes
But have you ever wondered:
Why 60?
Why not 10, 50, or 100?
The answer takes us back nearly 4,000 years to the ancient civilization of Babylon, in present-day Iraq.
1. The Babylonians Invented a Different Number System
Today, we use a base-10 number system.
That means we count using ten digits:
0 to 9.
The Babylonians, however, used a base-60 system, known as the sexagesimal system.
Instead of organizing numbers around 10, they organized them around 60.
This choice would eventually influence how humans measure time.
2. Why Was 60 So Special?
The number 60 is surprisingly useful.
It can be divided evenly by:
2
3
4
5
6
10
12
15
20
30
This made calculations much easier than numbers like 100 or 10.
For ancient merchants, astronomers, and mathematicians, 60 was an incredibly practical choice.
3. Astronomy Made the System Popular
The Babylonians were among the world's first great astronomers.
They carefully observed:
The Sun
The Moon
Planets
Stars
When tracking celestial movements, the base-60 system proved extremely effective.
Their methods were later adopted by Greek scholars and astronomers.
4. Seconds Originally Had Nothing to Do With Clocks
Interestingly, the idea of seconds came from astronomy long before modern clocks existed.
Ancient astronomers divided time into smaller and smaller units.
They used:
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
The word minute comes from the Latin pars minuta prima meaning "first small part."
The word second comes from pars minuta secunda meaning "second small part."
In other words:
A minute was the first division of an hour
A second was the second division of an hour
5. Mechanical Clocks Adopted the System
When accurate mechanical clocks appeared centuries later, clockmakers needed a standard way to divide time.
Rather than inventing a new system, they adopted the one already used by astronomers.
As a result:
1 hour = 60 minutes
1 minute = 60 seconds
And the system spread across the world.
6. We Still Use Babylonian Mathematics Today
The Babylonian influence appears in more places than you might realize.
For example:
60 seconds in a minute
60 minutes in an hour
360 degrees in a circle
Every time you check the time, you're using mathematics developed thousands of years ago.
A 4,000-Year-Old Decision That Still Shapes Your Day
The next time a clock ticks, remember something fascinating.
The reason there are 60 seconds in a minute is not because modern scientists chose that number.
It is because ancient Babylonians created a mathematical system so practical that humanity never replaced it.
More than four millennia later, their idea still measures every moment of your life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decided there are 60 seconds in a minute?
The system originated with Babylonian mathematics and was later adopted by Greek astronomers.
Why did the Babylonians use 60?
Because 60 is highly divisible, making calculations easier.
Why is a circle divided into 360 degrees?
The 360-degree system also comes from Babylonian mathematics and its preference for divisible numbers.
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