this post was submitted on 08 Oct 2024
64 points (88.1% liked)
Showerthoughts
29773 readers
441 users here now
A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.
Rules
- All posts must be showerthoughts
- The entire showerthought must be in the title
- Avoid politics
- 3.1) NEW RULE as of 5 Nov 2024, trying it out
- 3.2) Political posts often end up being circle jerks (not offering unique perspective) or enflaming (too much work for mods).
- 3.3) Try c/politicaldiscussion, volunteer as a mod here, or start your own community.
- Posts must be original/unique
- Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
While I do understand the better divisibility of base 12 and base 60 providing more whole numbers, I don't know if it really helps anything. 1/6 of 12 is 2 and 1/6 of 10 is 1.666, so on paper, 12 looks clean. But I can't really gauge dividing something into 1/6 physically any better than if I just try to fill 6 pots equally. Did it really take that long for decimals to be invented?
The again, it's too late in the afternoon for me to do 10/6 so I used a calculator. I guess it does help.
Dividing things neatly appeals to some part of the human brain that appreciates order and structures. There’s a certain type of beauty in it. However, when you’re actually measuring, cutting and building stuff, you end up with really messy values, as you are dealing with harsh reality instead of some ideal fantasy.
Building also ends up weird because the size was based on what ancient Romans did which obviously wasn't based on any modern system.