From what I know the vast majority of nautical travel is measured in knots. It just feels a little ancient for this world of technology. Wether it’s a ship or amphibious craft the speed is always knots. We have pretty reliable GPS and satellite nav nowadays even to the point you can buy a GPS speedometer for less than $50 for your car. I completely understand the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” philosophy but surely it would make life just that little bit easier for sailors and captains to have their speed in MPH/KPH?
In: 579
Because 60 and 360 are most divisible as whole numbers, much more so than, say, than 10; which makes mental calculations easier. So 60 nautical miles in a degree and 360 degrees around a sphere were chosen a very long time ago, and because the system works so well they haven’t fallen out of use.
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