Time telling

[Meneghin]

I am now retired, but during my life I was, amongst other things, a Navy officer, a merchant marine officer, and a consular interpreter. I have therefore learned that time may be expressed in two different ways with, of course, the same meaning.

We may define time using the 24-hour system or the 12-hour system.

The 24-hour system which is what they use in the Army, in the Navy and so forth, the hours go from 00:00 to 24:00 (I am using the colon as you do here in this very attractive and very alluring site, I am referring to “Science Forums”). This way of expressing time implies that the first 12 hours go from midnight to 12 noon and the second 12 hours go from 12 noon to midnight.

The 12-hour system which is the way we find time in common households and in everyday sort of life for the great majority of people, the hours go from 0:00am to 11:59am to cover the period from midnight to noon as the suffix indicates (am=ante meridiem=before noon), and then go from 12:01pm to 11:59pm to cover the period from noon to midnight as the suffix pm indicates (pm=post meridiem=after noon).

I must apologize for the long introduction, but I wanted to make sure that the odd one not conversant with this sort of things would follow and understand what I am saying.

What I actually wanted to say and herewith submit to you was whether it would sound and look better to drop the first zero before and after noon. To ordinary people that zero says very little and for people who at one time or another worked for the government the zero or the suffix can easily be dropped.

[TonyMcC]

I think you may be suggesting drop the zero before 10.00 AM and 10 PM in the 12 hour system. I think this is usually done. e.g. I'll meet you at 3.45 PM.

The 24 hour system in the british military does (or did in my time) include the zero before single digit hours. When verbally comunicated "00 minutes" becomes "hundred". It also ends with "hours". e.g. You will be on duty from "Oh six hundred hours until Oh eight hundred hours". I assume this came about to emphasize the 24 hour clock was being used and has become something of a tradition. Like a lot of tradition it is probably here to stay - for better or for worse!

[Klaynos]

It also ensures you have 4 digits for error checking. If you receive a signal of 133 have you just missed the proceeding 1 or 2 or was it never sent.