So, I was thinking # 1

There are three fundamental physical quantities.

Length, Weight and Time

The greater part of the world uses the metric system of measurement to measure length and weight, and other derived quantities (like force and acceleration).
The metric system is an international decimalized system of measurement that is the common system of measuring units used by most of the world.

For example all lengths and distances, are measured in metres, or thousandths of a meter (millimeters), or thousands of metres (kilometers), and so on. There is no profusion of different units with different conversion factors, such as inches, feet, yards, fathoms, rods, chains, furlongs, miles, nautical miles, leagues, etc. Multiples and submultiples are related to the fundamental unit by factors of powers of ten, so that one can convert by simply moving the decimal place: 1.234 metres is 1234 millimeters, 0.001234 kilometres, etc.

This of course, has been done for standardization and convenience of conversion.
Similar story with grams, and Kilograms and milligrams.

But think about time.

This one is sort of the odd one out.

To begin with, this is a physical quantity, which cannot be seen or touched. Yes, man has found a way to keep track of it, or to measure it, as we say. But that is more like cutting up an unending ribbon into pieces, so that it is easier for us to gift-wrap our small packages.

And then, when we do cut it up, why do we cut it up into such strange denominations?
What I mean to say is, why is it 60? Why does a minute have 60 seconds? And an hour has 60 minutes? Why not 100? The length of time, which we call a minute, could as easily have accommodated 100 seconds instead of 60, right? Or an hour comprising of 100 minutes. But it is not so. In spite of being so madly in love with our 10s and 100s, we still measure time with 60 seconds and 60 minutes and even stranger… 24 hours…

And it beats me… And so, I was thinking about it…

What do you think could be the reason? Has it anything to do with a circle having 360 degrees, and time being measures by two radii along a centre? Or perhaps it has some other history behind it? I don’t know. But if you have an answer, or actually let’s rephrase it, if you have a thought on it (thoughts are not Googled, and are therefore different from answers, unless of course you already know about it) then enlighten me!

(there might be more ‘so, I was thinking’ posts, and therefore this one is #1)