Article

2017-08-25 Science

Newly Discovered Ancient Babylonian Base 60 Trigonometry Tablet More Advanced Than Modern Base 10 Trigonometry

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Posted by Hupeting Sforza8196 2017-08-25 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11129 views ] Top

#1 I suppose with sandals one could count on more toes.

Posted by Skidmark 2017-08-25 00:59|| 2017-08-25 00:59|| Front Page Top

#2 They lived in interesting times.

Posted by Besoeker 2017-08-25 02:37|| 2017-08-25 02:37|| Front Page Top

#3 The idea that math goes back farther than some think doesn't surprise me. But in the real world once you get down to 5 or 6 decimal places does it really matter. Besides, its not like they had the measuring tools to go along with it

Posted by Cheaderhead 2017-08-25 05:48|| 2017-08-25 05:48|| Front Page Top

#4 Um, trigonometry is based on ratios. Sine -- opposite over hypotenuse. Cosine -- adjacent over hypotenuse. Tangent -- opposite over adjacent.

Posted by Rob Crawford 2017-08-25 07:36|| 2017-08-25 07:36|| Front Page Top

#5 this is just a base that makes dividing easier.
the maths does not change based on the number base chosen.

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2017-08-25 07:56|| 2017-08-25 07:56|| Front Page Top

#6 I wonder how/why they came up with a base 60 rather than base 30-15-90 (or whatever).

Will have to do some research.

Posted by Mullah Richard 2017-08-25 08:21|| 2017-08-25 08:21|| Front Page Top

#7 Babylonians used racist math. They must be expunged from the history books.

Posted by DarthVader 2017-08-25 08:59|| 2017-08-25 08:59|| Front Page Top

#8 When I saw the pic of that tablet my first thought was, "Good God, the Babylonians even invented Excel!"

Posted by Dave D. 2017-08-25 09:11|| 2017-08-25 09:11|| Front Page Top

#9 Clock, where did the 60 in our clocks come from?

Posted by Seeking cure for ignorance 2017-08-25 09:12|| 2017-08-25 09:12|| Front Page Top

#10 Neat story. I would like to see a Babylonian spherical trig tablet. Heh.

Dividing by 60 is handy for navigation. One degree of latitude equals 60 nautical miles. One nautical mile equals about 6000 feet. Or one minute of latitude. It makes navigating on paper charts (aeronautical or nautical) easy. Paper charts don't wink out.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2017-08-25 11:07|| 2017-08-25 11:07|| Front Page Top

#11 Old story. The advance of the Greeks wasn't simple computation, no matter how clever such aids were. It was in the idea of axioms, formal definitions, and proofs. That's what math is ... the rest is application.

Babylonians used the base 60 stuff for their endlessly ornate astrology, and carried it over to land calculations. It was a specialized skill but not one of education, just training.

Posted by Knuckles Slineger2610 2017-08-25 11:44|| 2017-08-25 11:44|| Front Page Top

#12

When I saw the pic of that tablet my first thought was, "Good God, the Babylonians even invented Excel!"

And now you know what happened to their civilization.

Posted by Rob Crawford 2017-08-25 12:36|| 2017-08-25 12:36|| Front Page Top

#13 60 is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 20, 30.

10 is divisible by 2, 5.

So for running numbers in your head, base 60 is great.

Posted by KBK 2017-08-25 12:38|| 2017-08-25 12:38|| Front Page Top

#14 Hell, I forgot 12 and 15!

Posted by KBK 2017-08-25 12:40|| 2017-08-25 12:40|| Front Page Top

#15 I read about this yesterday, and was interested. I found a decent Wiki reference, which I include for those interested:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexagesimal

There is a lot going on here, more than I had realized. An interesting read, good references, and it appears that base 60 math was passed down to the Babylonians from the Sumerians.

Posted by Whiskey Mike 2017-08-25 13:05|| 2017-08-25 13:05|| Front Page Top

#16 Damn. Base 60 will require a lot of new number symbols. Just when I thought I had base 16 down pat. **sigh**

Posted by Alaska Paul 2017-08-25 14:39|| 2017-08-25 14:39|| Front Page Top

#17 What does Bill Nye have to say?

/sarc if needed

Posted by AlanC 2017-08-25 14:54|| 2017-08-25 14:54|| Front Page Top

#18 That the Babylonians could therefore calculate up to 312 genders.

Posted by swksvolFF 2017-08-25 16:22|| 2017-08-25 16:22|| Front Page Top

#19 Another good afternoon at 'Rantburg U'.

Posted by Mullah Richard 2017-08-25 16:40|| 2017-08-25 16:40|| Front Page Top

#20 I'll never abandon the Polish numbering system. It has served me well.
1, 2, 3, infinity........
( I'm allowed, I'm Polish! Can I get a hug? )

Posted by Wizski 2017-08-25 18:50|| 2017-08-25 18:50|| Front Page Top

#21 I'm afraid to ask about "Reverse Polish".

Posted by Skidmark 2017-08-25 19:53|| 2017-08-25 19:53|| Front Page Top

#22 #21 I'm afraid to ask about "Reverse Polish".

Engineers swear by it. I have trouble doing anything else on my HP Calculator

Posted by Frank G 2017-08-25 20:06|| 2017-08-25 20:06|| Front Page Top

#23 Got an HP 41CX emulator on my Iphone 6+. Use it all the time. After my old HP41 literally wore out, had to go back to Babylonian trig tablets. Now I yam back on easy street.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2017-08-25 20:20|| 2017-08-25 20:20|| Front Page Top

22:03 Procopius2k
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