Main content
How to count to 60 on your fingers
As part of a talk about the nature of infinity, mathematician Marcus du Sautoy explains how the ancient Babylonians used their hands to count with base 60 - which explains why we still have 60 minutes in an hour.
Marcus du Sautoy's latest book is What We Cannot Know: Explorations at the Edge of Knowledge, published by Fourth Estate.
Duration:
This clip is from
More clips from 2018
-
How artificial intelligence could revolutionise the NHS
Duration: 02:26
-
What exactly is artificial intelligence?
Duration: 02:26
-
Are we really any closer to gender equality?
Duration: 03:24
-
Richard Dawkins on the evolution of altruism
Duration: 02:58
More clips from Hay Festival
-
Arundhati Roy: There's no such thing as a perfect story—2019
Duration: 02:49
-
Lucy Worsley on young Victoria becoming Queen—2019
Duration: 02:49