Why Does the am-pm switchover happen at 11:59-12:00

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I

iwantanewcomputer

Diamond Member
Apr 4, 2004
5,045
0
0
can somebody back me up that this system makes no sense. I explained this to a friend of mine a long time ago and he can never remember which is which now

OK lok people, it's not hard:

11:57 am
11:58 am
11:59 am
12:00 pm \ The am\pm switches over here
12:01 pm
...
12:59 pm
1:00 pm \ The numbers don't reset until here

It would make more sense to have

11:57 am
11:58 am
11:59 am
12:00 am
12:01 am
...
12:59 am
1:00 pm

 
mugs

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
91
Originally posted by: Nik
Midnight is 12:00 am or 00:00.

How is that hard?
Click to expand...

I think he's saying it's illogical for the day (and the second half of the day) to START at 12, then go 1, 2, 3, 4... It makes more sense when you're using military time.
 
EKKC

EKKC

Diamond Member
May 31, 2005
5,895
0
0
how is that hard. you start at 0:00 (just like computers), and 12 hours / 720 minutes in each half of the day (am, pm)

so you switch at 11:59am to 12:00pm
same as you switch from 11:59pm to 0:00 or 12:00am
 
EKKC

EKKC

Diamond Member
May 31, 2005
5,895
0
0
Originally posted by: Linflas
12:00 is neither AM nor PM. It is either 12:00 Noon or 12:00 midnight.
Click to expand...


actually no, i think 12:00 noon is pm and 12:00 midnight is am

go look at the windows clock when it hits 12:00

12:00 is the start of the day, and that's why it is 12:00am at midnight (think how you countdown to midnight for the new year at 12:00am? as it hits 12:00am, thats when the new day starts and that's reason enough for it to be "am".
 
Linflas

Linflas

Lifer
Jan 30, 2001
15,395
78
91
Originally posted by: EKKC
Originally posted by: Linflas
12:00 is neither AM nor PM. It is either 12:00 Noon or 12:00 midnight.
Click to expand...


actually no, i think 12:00 noon is pm and 12:00 midnight is am

go look at the windows clock when it hits 12:00

12:00 is the start of the day, and that's why it is 12:00am at midnight (think how you countdown to midnight for the new year at 12:00am? as it hits 12:00am, thats when the new day starts and that's reason enough for it to be "am".
Click to expand...

AM and PM - What is Noon and Midnight?

 
Z

Zontor

Senior member
Sep 19, 2000
530
0
0
Originally posted by: Linflas
12:00 is neither AM nor PM. It is either 12:00 Noon or 12:00 midnight.
Click to expand...


I've seen midnight and noon abbreviated as 12:00m (standing for Meriddiem) - since PM stands for "post meriddiem" and AM stands for "ante meriddiem" this makes sense....
 
dullard

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
26,187
4,853
126
It is that way since the clock doesn't have a zero. Clocks should count 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. But no, whoever designed the clock years ago didn't include a zero. So the #12 is supposed to be interpreted as a zero. Keep that in mind and everything is simple.
 
So

So

Lifer
Jul 2, 2001
25,923
17
81
Originally posted by: dullard
It is that way since the clock doesn't have a zero. Clocks should count 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. But no, whoever designed the clock years ago didn't include a zero. So the #12 is supposed to be interpreted as a zero. Keep that in mind and everything is simple.
Click to expand...

AFAIK Zero didn't exist as an explicit number when the first sundials were created. Extrapolate.
 
I

iwantanewcomputer

Diamond Member
Apr 4, 2004
5,045
0
0
bump cause nobody has agreed with me. I'm not saying I don't know how it works, I'm saying it makes no sense to have the am/pm dealy switch at a different time than the numbers
 
H

HonkeyDonk

Diamond Member
Oct 14, 2001
4,020
0
0
Originally posted by: iwantanewcomputer
bump cause nobody has agreed with me. I'm not saying I don't know how it works, I'm saying it makes no sense to have the am/pm dealy switch at a different time than the numbers
Click to expand...

you obviously DON'T know how it works since you keep trying to persuade others that your system is right.

0 = 12. Once you grasp that, you will understand.
 
C

cavemanmoron

Lifer
Mar 13, 2001
13,664
28
91
Originally posted by: iwantanewcomputer
can somebody back me up that this system makes no sense. I explained this to a friend of mine a long time ago and he can never remember which is which now

OK lok people, it's not hard:

11:57 am
11:58 am
11:59 am
12:00 pm \ The am\pm switches over here
12:01 pm
...
12:59 pm
1:00 pm \ The numbers don't reset until here

It would make more sense to have

11:57 am
11:58 am
11:59 am
12:00 am
12:01 am
...
12:59 am
1:00 pm
Click to expand...

HUH/.'..>>?>??

My clock goes 11:59 am;to 12:00pm,
11:59pm,to 12:00Am.

I live in the USA too. East coast.
 
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