A 24 hour clock is used in certain countries across the world. To put it another way, they use 0300 and 1500 instead of 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. to distinguish between morning and afternoon periods. This is the norm in many nations and is referred to as the 24 hour clock.
A 12 hour clock is the normal default for the general population in a few nations, such as the United States, although certain sub-populations, such as the military, use a 24 hour clock. This is commonly referred to as military time in such nations.
Actual military time follows regulations that differ from the normal 24 hour clock for the sake of precision. While "military time" is a colloquial term for the 24-hour clock, the military has its own set of quirks that are codified in laws.
A military time chart can teach you how to convert between a 12 hour clock and a 24 hour clock in the United States. Many citizens are perplexed by the conversion process. While the 12 hour clock is well-known, it is inaccurate in several respects when it comes to transmitting information. This is why, even in nations where the default clock is a 12 hour clock, the military and some other organizations, such as hospitals, use a 24 hour clock.
Some persons have a difficult time mentally converting the numbers. A downloadable military time chart might come in useful in these situations. It may be possible for them to keep a paper copy in their wallet and use it as needed.
Without an explanation of the distinctions between the 12 and 24 hour clocks, a military time conversion chart isn't fully comprehensive. Let's start with a brief discussion of the 12-hour clock.
The initials a.m. and p.m. are used on this clock to distinguish between "morning" and "afternoon" periods. At least, that's how the majority of people perceive it. In reality, a.m. stands for ante meridiem, or before noon, and p.m. stands for post meridiem, or after noon. The phrase "midday" refers to the time between noon and two o'clock. As a result, a.m. timings are between noon and midnight, and p.m. times are between noon and midnight.
Poor handwriting or a smidgeon of misunderstanding might make it difficult to tell if a time is morning or evening with this method. Furthermore, many people find it difficult to remember which 12 o'clock is midnight and which is midday. Many people will be confused about what time it is if you use 12 a.m. or 12 p.m. to refer to midnight and noon. This is so accurate that AP Style dictates that noon or midnight be used instead of 12 p.m. or 12 a.m.
As a result, having a 24 hour clock, such as one found on a military time chart, aids in determining what time was meant. It aids in improving comprehension while speaking about time, whether in writing or vocally. The military is particularly concerned in clear verbal communication, in part because oral communication is particularly susceptible to garbling.
Now we'll look at the 24-hour clock. The 24 hour clock goes from 0 to 23, whereas the 12 hour clock runs from 1 to 12 twice. In this example, midnight is 0 a.m., and 11 p.m. is 23 a.m. All times are written with at least four digits in the military, therefore midnight is written as 0000 instead of 0 and 11 p.m. is written as 2300 instead of 23.
Because all four slots must be filled at all times, the majority of morning times begin with a 0 as a place keeper. A leading zero is used to write the hours from midnight to 9:00 a.m. The numbers after that begin with a 1 or a 2, for example, 1000 for 10 a.m. and 2200 for 10 p.m.
The use of military time does not completely eliminate all ambiguity about specific timings. In reality, it raises fresh issues that are unique to the manifestation of midnight. Although midnight is usually stated as 0000 (or "zero hundred hours") for start times, midnight is sometimes expressed as 2400 for finish times.
Times after midnight are occasionally written with a number larger than 2400, such as listing 1 a.m. as 2500 to indicate that it is later than an earlier reported time. If a venue is only open from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., for example, stating it as 1900 to 2500 makes more natural sense to the reader than 1900 to 0100.
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