• ragas@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    23
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    6 hours ago

    The numbers on the clock actually make a lot of sense.

    12, 24 and 60 are highly composite numbers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highly_composite_number).

    Imagine using numbers in a world where most people have no real understanding of fractions.

    That is also the reason why you see the same or similar numbers as common screen refresh rates. 24, 48, 60, 120 and 240.

    The 12 hour clockface design is that way because it is a similar design to that of a sundial, so people did not need to learn a new way to read the time. This also meant that for readibility reasons it was beneficial to only have 12 numbers.