CrazyEngineers
CrazyEngineers

  • 360 degrees.

    ISHAN TOPRE

    Member

    Updated: Oct 25, 2024
    Views: 1.3K
    This is not exactly a puzzle.I have invented this myself.
    Have you ever wondered why we have a circle of 360 degrees only? When we can have it of 100 degrees,according to centi-scale?
    I think the answer is Earth.Earth rotates around Sun in 365 days with an eccentricity of 0.016.So we can assume it to be nearly 0 eccentricity.Hence we can safely assume this elliptical path as nearly a circle.
    In short

    Ellipse with an eccentricity =Circle
    of 0.016(365 days)
    Hence for calculation perpose we can take it as 360 degrees.
    Correct me if I am wrong.😀
    0
    Replies
Howdy guest!
Dear guest, you must be logged-in to participate on CrazyEngineers. We would love to have you as a member of our community. Consider creating an account or login.
Replies

  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    Member • Mar 6, 2011

    ishutopre
    This is not exactly a puzzle.I have invented this myself.
    Have you ever wondered why we have a circle of 360 degrees only? When we can have it of 100 degrees,according to centi-scale?
    I think the answer is Earth.Earth rotates around Sun in 365 days with an eccentricity of 0.016.So we can assume it to be nearly 0 eccentricity.Hence we can safely assume this elliptical path as nearly a circle.
    In short

    Ellipse with an eccentricity =Circle
    of 0.016(365 days)
    Hence for calculation perpose we can take it as 360 degrees.
    Correct me if I am wrong.😀
    I still don't get you! 360 and 365, how are these two different figures related?
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • Ankita Katdare

    Administrator • Mar 6, 2011

    I've been wondering why the ancients kept a standard circle only to 360 degrees.
    😐
    I figured that it had something to do with the Babylonians, who used a base 60 number system.

    I found what I was looking for in a book called "A History of Pi" by Petr Beckmann, a mathematician from Czechoslovakia.

    Here's the passage:

    In 1936, a tablet was excavated some 200 miles from Babylon. Here one
    should make the interjection that the Sumerians were first to make one of
    man's greatest inventions, namely, writing; through written communication,
    knowledge could be passed from one person to others, and from one
    generation to the next and future ones. They impressed their cuneiform
    (wedge-shaped) script on soft clay tablets with a stylus, and the tablets
    were then hardened in the sun. The mentioned tablet, whose translation
    was partially published only in 1950, is devoted to various geometrical
    figures, and states that the ratio of the perimeter of a regular hexagon
    to the circumference of the circumscribed circle equals a number which in
    modern notation is given by 57/60 + 36/(60^2) (the Babylonians used the
    sexagesimal system, i.e., their base was 60 rather than 10).

    The Babylonians knew, of course, that the perimeter of a hexagon is
    exactly equal to six times the radius of the circumscribed circle, in fact
    that was evidently the reason why they chose to divide the circle into 360
    degrees (and we are still burdened with that figure to this day). The
    tablet, therefore, gives ... Pi = 25/8 = 3.125.

    So that's who gave us the 360 degrees in the circle. 😉
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    Member • Mar 6, 2011

    AKD, its too much confusing to understand... But some great logic is there behind this and the compass based clock... 😛
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • shiwa436

    Member • Mar 6, 2011

    AbraKaDabra
    I've been wondering why the ancients kept a standard circle only to 360 degrees.
    😐
    I figured that it had something to do with the Babylonians, who used a base 60 number system.

    I found what I was looking for in a book called "A History of Pi" by Petr Beckmann, a mathematician from Czechoslovakia.

    Here's the passage:

    In 1936, a tablet was excavated some 200 miles from Babylon. Here one
    should make the interjection that the Sumerians were first to make one of
    man's greatest inventions, namely, writing; through written communication,
    knowledge could be passed from one person to others, and from one
    generation to the next and future ones. They impressed their cuneiform
    (wedge-shaped) script on soft clay tablets with a stylus, and the tablets
    were then hardened in the sun. The mentioned tablet, whose translation
    was partially published only in 1950, is devoted to various geometrical
    figures, and states that the ratio of the perimeter of a regular hexagon
    to the circumference of the circumscribed circle equals a number which in
    modern notation is given by 57/60 + 36/(60^2) (the Babylonians used the
    sexagesimal system, i.e., their base was 60 rather than 10).

    The Babylonians knew, of course, that the perimeter of a hexagon is
    exactly equal to six times the radius of the circumscribed circle, in fact
    that was evidently the reason why they chose to divide the circle into 360
    degrees (and we are still burdened with that figure to this day). The
    tablet, therefore, gives ... Pi = 25/8 = 3.125.

    So that's who gave us the 360 degrees in the circle. 😉
    Bit confused with this..
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • ISHAN TOPRE

    Member • Mar 6, 2011

    @AKD:Can we say thay earth traces a n arc of approximately 1 degree in 1 day around the Sun?
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    Member • Mar 6, 2011

    ishutopre
    @AKD:Can we say thay earth traces a n arc of approximately 1 degree in 1 day around the Sun?
    Yeah, but even then it should be 365 degrees and not 360 right?
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • ISHAN TOPRE

    Member • Mar 6, 2011

    Well praveen, earth rotates around the Sun in an elliptical path of eccentricity 0.016.
    So we can approximate those extra 5 days as negligible
    365 days = Circle of 360 deg
    with e=0.016 with e=0

    that is why 1 day = 1 degree(Approx)
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    Member • Mar 6, 2011

    So, 0.016 is equal to 5 days! 😛
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • silverscorpion

    Member • Mar 7, 2011

    Well, as AKD said above, circle having 360 degrees is because of Babylonians using sexagesimal system (base 60).
    It has nothing to do with the number of days in a year or earths' eccentricity (or so I believe 😉 )...

    It's due to the same reason that one degree is divided into 60 minutes and one minute into 60 seconds.
    But as to why a circle is having 360 degrees and not 60 degrees, I have no idea.
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    Member • Mar 7, 2011

    What is the name of the instrument which uses this degree system and sun's direction to measure the time? It has a right angled triangle from the centre and it is supposed to be placed facing east. Forgot its name, does anyone know? I am not sure whether it is a compass or something.
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • durga ch

    Member • Mar 7, 2011

    @ praveen - its a sundail
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    Member • Mar 7, 2011

    durga
    @ praveen - its a sundail
    Oh thanx, yeah. Forgot totally... 😀
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • mitul00719

    Member • Apr 13, 2011

    The circle is limited to 360 degrees becoz of base 60 system...try using base 10.nd work it out
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    Member • Apr 13, 2011

    Base 60 system? If its base 360 system, then its accepted that 360 + 10 = 10. Can you explain?
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • Saandeep Sreerambatla

    Member • Apr 13, 2011

    Here is a simple explanation.

    Check this. #-Link-Snipped-#
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    Member • Apr 13, 2011

    Nice explanation man!!! Base 60 is understood as in Seconds and Minutes... 😀
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • ISHAN TOPRE

    Member • Apr 13, 2011

    Great Explanation ES! good finding. After all ancient knowledge helps.

    Can I ask you one thing? How is the answer different from my previous reply. If you look closely, please explain. 😀
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • mitul00719

    Member • Apr 13, 2011

    how did the ancient know that the earh rotated in a circular manner but not ellpitcal. or any other.?
    i dont understand that how could hav they calculated the 360 degrees becoz eath does not move in a perfect circular path...
    any1 clarifying for me?
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    Member • Apr 13, 2011

    mitul00719
    how did the ancient know that the earh rotated in a circular manner but not ellpitcal. or any other.?
    i dont understand that how could hav they calculated the 360 degrees becoz eath does not move in a perfect circular path...
    any1 clarifying for me?
    Simple, the circle or sphere is the basic shape of anything... Consider a water drop, it is sphere in shape. Another example is when you take a cube and rotate it. It becomes a sphere. By this way, they would have calculated that the shape of Earth is round, as Sun comes and goes, but it is static. But still, I have that doubt of 360 thingy! 😔
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel

  • mitul00719

    Member • Apr 13, 2011

    thanks for clarifying 😀
    Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
    Cancel
Home Channels Search Login Register