[ID: Image 1: A diagram of a hand, with the numbers on to twelve on each phalange of the finger. There is an arrow from the thumb to the fingers, to indicate it would be used to count the numbers.
Image 2: A diagram of two hands. The first has the numbers one to twelve, the same as in image 1. The second hand has the number 12 over the thumb, and 24, 36, 48, 60 over the fingers, to indicate how using a second hand could allow you to count to 60.
Image 3: A screenshot of tumblr tags, which read, '#wait what that's smart as fuck aksjska #small smooth modern brain: "waaah i can only count to 10" average babylonian: "i can count to 60" #galaxy brain: there are 12 spaces on the other hand too, if i tap a new one every 12 taps instead of raising a finger i can count to 144'
Image 4: Another diagram of hands. Whilst one hand has the one to twelve as shown in the original, the other hand now counts up in twelves, from 12 to 144. Notably, 136 is written instead of 132.'
Image 5: A tumblr tag, reading 'oh I wonder if that's why a gross is 144'
Base 60 (aka sexagesimal number system) actually originated with the Sumerians, but was further developed by the Babylonians.
From mathetmaticalmysteries.org: 'The genesis of the base 60 system lies with the Sumerians, an advanced civilization flourishing in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) around 4500 years ago. Faced with the challenges of agriculture, trade, and resource management, the Sumerians developed a sophisticated mathematical framework. This system was subsequently refined and expanded by the Babylonians.'
It's exact origins aren't known, although there are several theories as to why the number 60 was chosen. One of the most widely suggested theories is that 60 is it's easy divisibility.
From Britannica: 'The reasons for the choice of 60 are obscure, but one good mathematical reason might have been the existence of so many divisors (2, 3, 4, and 5, and some multiples) of the base, which would have greatly facilitated the operation of division.'
Other theories include the combination of a base 10 and base 6 system, and the benefits of base 60 in astronomical observations.
From the California Learning Resource Network:
Integration of Existing Systems: Some historians speculate that base 60 may have emerged as a composite system, merging a base 10 system (associated with counting on fingers) and a base 6 system. Astronomical Observations: Early astronomers may have found the base 60 system advantageous for tracking celestial cycles, where divisions of the circle and the year played a crucial role.
However, the theory suggested in the post has been posited too.
From the New York Times: 'Georges Ifrah, a 20th-century French mathematician, proposed that the sexagesimal system grew out of an alternative method of counting known as the duodecimal system, common throughout Asia. Instead of counting the five digits on each hand, the thumb is used as a pointer, touching each of the four fingers on the right hand, beginning with the pinkie. When the count reaches 12, a digit on the left hand is lowered to mark the place — making “60” when all five digits are balled into a fist.'
It should also be noted that the diagram showing how to count to 144 on fingers has an error. 11x12=132, not 136.
The use of base 12, or a dozen, also comes from the Sumerians, who used both base 12 and base 60 systems. A gross is then 12 dozen, or 12 squared.
From Live Science: 'The use of 60 began with the Sumerians who used different number systems. While you and I write numbers using base 10, or “decimal” this civilization used base 12 ("duodecimal") and base 60 ("sexigesimal"). It is not known exactly why they chose these systems, but there are a few theories'
From the Oxford English Dictionary: 'Gross: A unit of quantity equal to twelve dozen (144)'
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