Midnight! does it exist?

[mjw47]

 

I suppose that if nothing else, this thread proves that all the intelligent, sensible posters have left Sheffield Forum, and you're just left with trolls, idiots and nitpickers...

 

So if all of them have left, which one of the above are you?

 

Strangely enough, I have never in my entire life ( and I'm not young ) had a problem differentiating 12 noon from 12 midnight, this is one of the most otiose threads in a long list of otiose threads on this forum, and quite amusing as a result.

[dosxuk]

So if all of them have left, which one of the above are you?

 

I've left that as an exercise for the reader

[Andy]

All of this reminds me of the millennium celebrations that the whole country seemed to take part in one year early.

 

Of course you start counting from zero for everything. The first unit (second, mile, tonne) is one. If I give you something for free it costs zero pounds, not one pound.

 

---------- Post added 22-11-2014 at 19:23 ----------

 

Andy, I possibly owe you an apology after re-reading your post.

 

I realise now it's not yourself who's been saying 13:00pm, it's others, you're just quoting them.

They are wrong, there is no 13:00pm, just 13:00 or 1:00pm.

 

No apology needed but you're right. The point I was trying to make is that 13:00pm is meaningless. Does it mean 1pm or does it mean 13 hours post meridian?

 

This thread shows why transport companies, the military etc. use the 24 hour clock!

[mjw47]

I've left that as an exercise for the reader

 

I have you down as a bit of a nitpicker, but not a bad person despite that.

 

---------- Post added 22-11-2014 at 19:31 ----------

 

All of this reminds me of the millennium celebrations that the whole country seemed to take part in one year early.

 

Of course you start counting from zero for everything. The first unit (second, mile, tonne) is one. If I give you something for free it costs zero pounds, not one pound.

 

---------- Post added 22-11-2014 at 19:23 ----------

 

 

 

I had that problem attempting to explain it to someone who was convinced that the year 2000 was the first year of the new century, as opposed to the final year of the last century.

 

Finally got it through to him by pointing out that if you are asked to count to one hundred you haven't done it til you say one hundred, and you start at one not nought.

Edited November 22, 2014 by mjw47

[dosxuk]

I had that problem attempting to explain it to someone who was convinced that the year 2000 was the first year of the new century, as opposed to the final year of the last century.

 

Finally got it through to him by pointing out that if you are asked to count to one hundred you haven't done it til you say one hundred, and you start at one not nought.

 

How many years has someone spent alive when they celebrate their 100th birthday?

[rockonvynil]

How many years has someone spent alive when they celebrate their 100th birthday?

 

one hundred years plus nine months

[dosxuk]

one hundred years plus nine months

 

But some are saying it's 99 years [and nine months]. The 100 means it's the start of their 100th year, not that 100 years have elapsed since their birth.

[mjw47]

How many years has someone spent alive when they celebrate their 100th birthday?

 

excluding the nine months and simply counting from their actual birth date, it will be the one hundredth birthday which they have celebrated, they didn't celebrate their first birthday until the completion of the first twelve months.

 

Each birthday is the marking of the passing of a full year since the last one so even allowing for leap years they are still described as years.

 

You are not born at one year old, you are one minute and then one hour and then a week, a month and so on.

 

So it seems fairly straightforward, unless you know something different.

Edited November 22, 2014 by mjw47

[dosxuk]

You are not born at one year old, you are one minute and then one hour and then a week, a month and so on.

 

So we *do* count from zero then?

 

So how come when somebody celebrates their 100th birthday, it's the end of a century of their life, but when we celebrate at the start of a new millenium, people are saying we should celebrate it at the start of the x001 year? (Which not only is at odds with how we work out ages, but also decades and centuries).

 

I think there's an anti-zero sentiment underlying these arguments...

[yorky15]

But some are saying it's 99 years [and nine months]. The 100 means it's the start of their 100th year, not that 100 years have elapsed since their birth.

 

I'm with you on that one, a century is as we know, 100 years, not 99..You will be 100 on your 100th birthday, no question!