History of Time Calculation
Year for me: Visualizing time on my own terms proved surprisingly difficult. Standard linear and circular models are ingrained in us from such an early age that breaking away from those inherited perspectives is a real challenge. For me, a year is best represented as a dynamic spiral or continuous sine wave. If I had to capture how time feels, it would be an expanding spiral. It rolls onward without pause, collecting memories along the path while continually referencing the past to give the present context.
I see the annual cycle through the lens of four seasons: starting in the trough of winter, rising through spring to the peak of summer, dipping through autumn, and cycling back to winter.
Smaller increments like days and months don't feel distinct to me because my daily work routine remains fairly uniform year-round. However, major life events (Like celebrating Diwali or other seasonal festivals which occur at certain times of the year) naturally anchor themselves to shifting seasons, making these broader cycles far more meaningful.
(I asked Gemini to create a visual of my imagination in the third picture- attached the prompt below)The most surprising thing for me from the SCIAM article, it was interesting to know how the modern way of keeping time has shifted from the rotation of the Earth to the vibrations of the cesium atom. I did a little research on this concept and learned how every cesium atom in the universe behaves the exact same way, making its natural microwave frequency a permanent and reliable cosmic metronome. Also, it is so strange how we are equating the rotation of something as big as a planet with something as small as an atom. It is really mind-blowing to me.
I saw some inconsistency regarding base 60 in both articles: the MacTutor article talks about the equilateral triangle being one of the reasons for base 60, but there is no such evidence in the other article about it. Also, for me, it doesn't really match the reason for choosing base 60 in general. I think base 60 came first, and then came time measurement—not that the angle came first and helped originate base 60. Gemini Prompt:
Very interesting to see your sinusoidal/ spiral imaging of the year, and to hear how it was difficult to access these temporal images! (I imagine the year in a pretty similar way, but not everyone sees it with the same geometry…)
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