We have seen that Babylonian mathematics had a base 60 (sexagesimal) place value system -- that is,the same symbol could be used in the units column, the 60s column, the 3600s column,... with different meanings.
We'll be doing some further readings on this in our upcoming classes!
For homework, please write a blog post about why you think the Babylonians chose base 60 rather than the base 10 system we are used to (even though they did have a special symbol for 10).
To write your blog post for Wednesday, please engage in a "speculative phase" and a "research phase". Begin by thinking, wondering and speculating for yourself, and only after that, go to doing some research online or in the library:
Speculative phase:
(1) Think for yourself why 60 might be a convenient, significant or especially useful number to use as the base for a number notational system. What is special about the number 60? How is it different from 10?
(2) Then think for yourself how we still use 60s in our own daily lives, in Canada, and across cultures if you have knowledge of other systems (like the Chinese zodiac and time-telling system, for example.) Why is 60 significant in so many situations involving time and/or space?
Research phase:
(3) Finally, do a bit of research via the internet and/or the library to find out what others have learned about the significance of 60 in Babylonian numeration systems, in our contemporary world, and possibly across cultures.
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