1 Topic by GB (edited by GB 2022-12-22 04:10:10)

  • GB
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Topic: Doubly ambiguous?

Looking at my local weather forecast, I see this warning pop-up.

Winter Storm - Watch
From 12/23/2022 12:00:00 AM to 12/24/2022 3:00:00 AM

Although 12 o'clock noon is of course neither before noon (AM), nor after noon (PM), and 12 o'clock midnight is both before noon and after after noon by exactly 12 hours in both cases, I assume the 12:00:00 AM referred to means Midnight.

I have worked out that 12/23/2022, and 12/24/2022 is really 23/12/2022 and 24/12/2022, so now I'm just trying to work out whether midnight on 12/23/2022 is at the start of the day, or 24 hours later, at the end of the day. Does this alert last for 27 hours or just 3 hours?

I do wish people would avoid such ambiguity. It would be easy enough to say that the alert was from 00:00:01 AM on 12/23/2022, removing all doubt.

See https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/no … m-or-12-pm

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Re: Doubly ambiguous?

When I was a volunteer, many years ago, in the Civil Defence Signals, we were taught that there was no midnight 12.00 pm. We had to record messages as being at 23.59 or 00.01

  • Alfred
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Re: Doubly ambiguous?

GB wrote:

I do wish people would avoid such ambiguity. It would be easy enough to say that the alert was from 00:00:01 AM on 12/23/2022, removing all doubt.

That would be much too sensible!

jackneve wrote:

When I was a volunteer, many years ago, in the Civil Defence Signals, we were taught that there was no midnight 12.00 pm.

Midnight marks the transition from one day to the next, so it’s definitely not ‘post meridiem’, which would indicate the latter half of the day. It’s conventional for midnight to be referenced as 12:00 am, since it’s only exactly midnight for an immeasurably small instant, after which it’s the very early morning of the next day.

"Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?"
― Tennessee Williams

4 Reply by GB

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Re: Doubly ambiguous?

It’s conventional for midnight to be referenced as 12:00 am

But would it not be more logical for 12:00 am to immediately follow 11:59 am, rather than 11:59 pm?

  • Alfred
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Re: Doubly ambiguous?

GB wrote:

It’s conventional for midnight to be referenced as 12:00 am

But would it not be more logical for 12:00 am to immediately follow 11:59 am, rather than 11:59 pm?

I don’t think so, Geoff. In the same way as it’s only exactly midnight for an immeasurably small instant, after which it’s the very early morning of the next day, it’s only exactly midday for an immeasurably small instant, after which it’s the very early afternoon of the same day.

"Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?"
― Tennessee Williams