Why Is a Dozen 12?
In short: Finger joints and the moon are both offered as reasons twelve became a working number in Egyptian timekeeping and Roman measures, alongside its easy divisibility, though its true origin remains open.
A 1:19 short film in the series “From Fingers to Qubits”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: Frontiers in Psychology (article by Karenleigh A. Overmann, 2021), hosted on PubMed Central by the US National Library of Medicine, “Finger-Counting and Numerical Structure”; MacTutor History of Mathematics archive (University of St Andrews), reproducing part of a lecture by Heinrich Tietze, “Heinrich Tietze on Numbers”; MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews, “Measurement - MacTutor History of Mathematics”; Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Duodecimal number system | mathematics | Britannica”; BBC (BBC Future), “The ancient reason there are 60 minutes in an hour”; Scientific American (answer by Michael A. Lombardi, metrologist, National Institute of Standards and Technology), “Why is a minute divided into 60 seconds, an hour into 60 minutes, yet there are only 24 hours in a day?”; Scientific American, “Decoding the Star Charts of Ancient Egypt”; LacusCurtius (Bill Thayer), reproducing William Smith's A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (John Murray, London, 1875), article by Philip Smith, “LacusCurtius • Roman Weights and Measures — Uncia (Smith's Dictionary, 1875)”; Dickinson College Commentaries (Allen and Greenough, Latin Grammar, edited by Meagan Ayer), “Measures | Dickinson College Commentaries”; University of Nebraska–Lincoln Astronomy Education (NAAP Labs), “A Bit of History - Basic Coordinates and Seasons”.
Sources used in this film
- Frontiers in Psychology (article by Karenleigh A. Overmann, 2021), hosted on PubMed Central by the US National Library of Medicine — Finger-Counting and Numerical Structure · View →
- MacTutor History of Mathematics archive (University of St Andrews), reproducing part of a lecture by Heinrich Tietze — Heinrich Tietze on Numbers · View →
- MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews — Measurement - MacTutor History of Mathematics · View →
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Duodecimal number system | mathematics | Britannica · View →
- BBC (BBC Future) — The ancient reason there are 60 minutes in an hour · View →
- Scientific American (answer by Michael A. Lombardi, metrologist, National Institute of Standards and Technology) — Why is a minute divided into 60 seconds, an hour into 60 minutes, yet there are only 24 hours in a day? · View →
- Scientific American — Decoding the Star Charts of Ancient Egypt · View →
- LacusCurtius (Bill Thayer), reproducing William Smith's A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (John Murray, London, 1875), article by Philip Smith — LacusCurtius • Roman Weights and Measures — Uncia (Smith's Dictionary, 1875) · View →
- Dickinson College Commentaries (Allen and Greenough, Latin Grammar, edited by Meagan Ayer) — Measures | Dickinson College Commentaries · View →
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln Astronomy Education (NAAP Labs) — A Bit of History - Basic Coordinates and Seasons · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Frontiers in Psychology (article by Karenleigh A. Overmann, 2021), hosted on PubMed Central by the US National Library o: Finger-Counting and Numerical Structure
- Also: MacTutor History of Mathematics archive (University of St Andrews), reproducing part of a lecture by Heinrich Tietze: Heinrich Tietze on Numbers
- Also: MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews: Measurement - MacTutor History of Mathematics
- Also: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Duodecimal number system | mathematics | Britannica
- Also: BBC (BBC Future): The ancient reason there are 60 minutes in an hour
- Also: Scientific American (answer by Michael A. Lombardi, metrologist, National Institute of Standards and Technology): Why is a minute divided into 60 seconds, an hour into 60 minutes, yet there are only 24 hours in a day?
- Also: Scientific American: Decoding the Star Charts of Ancient Egypt
- Also: LacusCurtius (Bill Thayer), reproducing William Smith's A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (John Murray, London: LacusCurtius • Roman Weights and Measures — Uncia (Smith's Dictionary, 1875)
- Also: Dickinson College Commentaries (Allen and Greenough, Latin Grammar, edited by Meagan Ayer): Measures | Dickinson College Commentaries
- Also: University of Nebraska–Lincoln Astronomy Education (NAAP Labs): A Bit of History - Basic Coordinates and Seasons
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