Is midnight today or tomorrow?

Discussion in 'Science & Society' started by dsdsds, Mar 11, 2009.

  1. dsdsds Valued Senior Member

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    What's Illogical? There is a point in time identified as "midnight" and marks a transition from one day to the next. The point (since it is infinitesimally small like all other points) does not lie on either side of the timeline. Everything else is just semantics. You can define that point however you want:

    "Midnight" = "00:00 tuesday" = "24:00 monday" = "moment Cinderella turns into a pumpkin" = "??" ...

    We are discussing a communication issue, not a logic issue. We can choose anything but to avoid confusion, it's best to choose a standard definition for that specific (logical)point.
     
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  3. Pete It's not rocket surgery Registered Senior Member

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    When I was a lecturer, I would sometimes have electronic assignment submissions where I had to specify a due date and time.

    Midnight at the end of the due date seemed the obvious choice for the cutoff time, but equally obvious (due to the odd nature of our time system) was the confusion that would result if I specified a due time of 12:00am dd/mm/yyyy.

    The (still obvious) solution? Due time: 11:59pm
     
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  5. StrangerInAStrangeLand SubQuantum Mechanic Valued Senior Member

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    It is a matter of communication & logic.
    There's no transition until the next day begins.
    Of course the point lies on 1 side (day?) or the other. How small a point is has nothing to do with it. There is no point in time which is between 2 days. There is no point in time which is shared by 2 days.
    You continue saying 00:00. There is no 00:00 point in time. Zero is nothing.
    It's best to use a term & definition which makes sense.
     
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  7. StrangerInAStrangeLand SubQuantum Mechanic Valued Senior Member

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    That was wise & practical considering the mindless mess you had to deal with.
    We shouldn't have to deal with it tho.
     
  8. Pete It's not rocket surgery Registered Senior Member

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    Well, the system is odd, but the logic behind midnight being 12am is quite clear.

    11:59 pm is the 60th minute - a digital clock reads 11:59 for the entirety of that 60th minute.

    And one minute past midnight is 12:00:01 am, right?

    If you were designing a digital clock for public consumption with 12 hour time, would time would it display at a nanosecond past midnight?
     
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2009
  9. Tnerb Banned Banned

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    It's a kind of tricky question if one thinks the beginning of a day is noon.
     
  10. Tnerb Banned Banned

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    Apparently, you would need one more person to complete that essense :bawl:
     
  11. Tnerb Banned Banned

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    Three people I mean
     
  12. Tnerb Banned Banned

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  13. StrangerInAStrangeLand SubQuantum Mechanic Valued Senior Member

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    11:59 is not a minute. It is a point, the last point in time of the 59th minute.
    A digital clock which shows seconds reads 11:59:01 (11 hours 59 minutes 1 second), 11:59:02 (11 hours 59 minutes 2 seconds), 11:59:03, 11:59:04, ... ... ... 11:59:57, 11:59:58, 11:59:59 (11 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds), 12:00:00 (12 hours) for the 60th minute.
    I would not design a clock with 12 hour time mode.
     
  14. Tnerb Banned Banned

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    You are not mistaken.
     
  15. justwonderingjoe Gosh,the weather is nice today Registered Senior Member

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    2357, 2358, 2359, 0000, 0001, 0002, etc....

    0000 = next calendar day

    (Hospital birth registrar for 19 years)
     
  16. StrangerInAStrangeLand SubQuantum Mechanic Valued Senior Member

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    There is no 0000. Zero = nothing. No thing. No time. No point.
     
  17. Tnerb Banned Banned

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    How do you know that???

    I meant to say how do you know there is no 0000......................................
     
  18. Tnerb Banned Banned

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  19. StrangerInAStrangeLand SubQuantum Mechanic Valued Senior Member

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    By definition. Same way I know what 1 is. 00:00:01 is 1 second. 00:00:00 is zero second is no second is nonsense.
     
  20. Tnerb Banned Banned

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    at all.
     
  21. Tnerb Banned Banned

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    How can one say that however.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  22. StrangerInAStrangeLand SubQuantum Mechanic Valued Senior Member

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    Coincidently, the previous post is my #2460, 24 & 60 being such significant numbers in our time measuring. Leftovers from Babylonians.
    We should have a base 10 time measurement.
     
  23. Tnerb Banned Banned

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    10hm thats confuseing me how would you think one can say that perhaps with a 10 you have uh, idk maybe some other kind of measurement type or something.....
     

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