If there are sixty seconds in a minute and sixty minutes in an hour, than why are there only twenty four hours in a day?

Answered on

The division of time into 24 hours in a day is a historical and cultural convention that dates back to ancient civilizations. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, among other cultures, played significant roles in developing our modern system of timekeeping.

The choice of 24 hours in a day is thought to be influenced by the ancient Egyptians, who used a base-12 system for counting on each hand's fingers (using the three segments of each of the four fingers). The Egyptians also divided the day and night into 12 hours each, with the length of these hours varying throughout the year. The total of 12 daylight hours and 12 nighttime hours added up to 24 hours.

Later, the ancient Greeks and Romans adopted similar systems, contributing to the establishment of the 24-hour day that we use today. While the choice of 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour has a different historical origin (rooted in Babylonian mathematics), these two systems were eventually integrated to create our modern timekeeping system.

In summary, the division of time into 24 hours in a day is a result of historical and cultural developments, and it has persisted over centuries.