[ sexagesimal - never dismal ] Sumerian math was a sexagesimal system, meaning it was based on the number 60. Why the Sumerians picked 60 as the base of their numbering system is not known for sure. The idea seems to have developed from an earlier, more complex system known from 3200 B.C. in which the positions in a number alternated between 6 and 10 as bases.
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[ sexagesimal - never dismal ]

Sumerian math was a sexagesimal system, meaning it was based on the number 60. Why the Sumerians picked 60 as the base of their numbering system is not known for sure. The idea seems to have developed from an earlier, more complex system known from 3200 B.C. in which the positions in a number alternated between 6 and 10 as bases.

Source: The New York Times

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