People like to shit on the imperial measurements for its inconsistensies, but why is it we have a similarly dogshit one for measuring time? (lemmygrad.ml)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by Lemmywontallowme@lemmygrad.ml to c/comradeship@lemmygrad.ml

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For example,

60 seconds = 1 minute

60 minutes = 1 hour

24 hours = 1 day

7 day = 1 week

29-31 days = Month (approx.)

365/366 days = year

It's like for the imperial measurement of distance, where 1 mile = 5280 feet...

Edit: just to clarify, I'm more or less keen towards any consistent, decimal-based measurement systems like base-10 or base-12.

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[-] Pons_Aelius@kbin.social 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Time measurements like heat, mass, length etc are arbitrary units. It is just that they are the oldest.

The Sumerians gave us our time standards and they loved base 12. So twelve hours in the day and 60 (5x12) minutes in the hour. Also 12 months in a year and 360 degrees in a circle.

The French actually tried to implement decimal time after the revolution but reverted back after 6 years or so.

this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2023

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