10:15 on a Saturday night

[venta]

An important survey:

[Poll #1060840]

Yes, I know 12pm isn't a meaningful time. But people use it, so I want to know what is generally understood by it. If you want a box for "I wouldn't understand anything by it, because it's a stupid thing to say", then you can't have one; just imagine that the something happening is important and you're forced to take a guess.

Comments

[venta.livejournal.com]

I'm not being querulous. I'm just confused. 12pm to me always suggests midnight, though it seems I'm nearly alone in this.

[reddragdiva]

Ah, ok :-) To make it clearer:

Is 12:01:00 AM or PM? It's clearly PM.

Is 00:01:00 AM or PM? It's clearly AM.

12noon is PM because one INSTANT after 12:00:00.0000000 precisely it's PM.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Yes, I can see the sense of looking at it like that.

However, one INSTANT before 12:00:00.0000000 precisely it's AM, so I've always regarded them as open intervals with the 12s belonging to neither set.

I guess it depends whether your background is in topology or something much more practical ;)

If nothing else, your explanation might at least mean I remember which way round the majority of people think it works.

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

Oi. My background's in topology :)

[rosenkavalier.livejournal.com]

It's always annoyed me - I know what convention says they should be, but it strikes me that midnight is both 12am and 12pm, and midday is neither...