• Nougat@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    47
    ·
    1 year ago

    “Having many more right triangles for a unit length” would have an incredible benefit in constructing enormous triangly things.

    • IninewCrow
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      1 year ago

      Instead becoming more acute about triangly things… we were more obtuse and went base ten

      • dalekcaan@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Well yeah, who’s got 60 fingers? I mean sure, there’s Fingers Georg, but that guy’s weird.

        • jarfil@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          People used to count 12 knuckles times 5 fingers for a total base 60.

          Using only 5+5 fingers is the dumbed down version.

            • jarfil@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              6
              ·
              1 year ago

              Sumerians and Babylonians used the same cuneiform writing system with a base of 6×10, but it seems like they also used to count to 60 as 12×5… and what we’re left with, is the simplified 5+5=10.

              Also, we shall remember that:

              𒀭 𒐏𒋰𒁀 𒎏𒀀𒉌 𒂄𒄀 𒍑𒆗𒂵 𒈗 𒋀𒀊𒆠𒈠 𒈗𒆠𒂗 𒄀𒆠𒌵𒆤 𒂍𒀀𒉌 𒈬𒈾𒆕

    • 8BitRoadTrip@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      1 year ago

      Now I’m wondering why the Babylonians didn’t have giant triangle shaped orbital habitats.