this post was submitted on 20 May 2025
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[–] echodot@feddit.uk 17 points 2 hours ago

If the day started at 1:00 then by the second hour you would be at 2:00, even though only 1 hour has passed. Effectively the day starts at 0. In fact in 24-hour time that is how it's depicted, 00:00 with midday being depicted as 12:00, so it isn't confusing

[–] teslasaur@lemmy.world 9 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

It's the same logic that was used by ancient astronomers to arrive at 360 degrees for a full revolution.

The math is easier if you have to do it by hand.

[–] nialv7@lemmy.world 8 points 3 hours ago (2 children)
[–] teslasaur@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

Poor 70. Imagine being the objectively "weird" one out of a hundred.

[–] Hobo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

It's also the one advantage Imperial has over metric. It's easier to do mental math in a lot of cases in base 12 rather than base 10.

Now excuse me while I bar my windows and doors from the mobs of angry people that show every time I point this out.

[–] ultracritical@lemmy.world 1 points 30 minutes ago

Only really counts for feet and inches. But yes, having your base unit be divisible by halves, thirds, quarters, sixths, and twelths with whole numbers of sub units is highly useful when fabricating objects when you don't have access to modern tooling and supplies. In fact I would argue base 12 is the superior numerical system that was abandoned for metric and we have lost something in the meantime. Though Jan Misali might disagree with his love for sexinal.

Imperial units do have another advantage to this day, though. When talking about machining bolts and threads Imperial use threads per inch or threads per unit length while metric uses the pitch of the thread, so mm in-between threads. This decision means that when machining imperial nuts and bolts we by default pick whole numbers of threads per inch which due to the circular nature of lathes means that a simple clock dial can keep the lead screw synchronised with the head. Since metric uses pitch we pick numbers like 1.25mm pitch which does not always synchronous well with the lead screw and head and requires some odd gear ratios to cut specific threads.

[–] ParadoxSeahorse@lemmy.world 7 points 6 hours ago

Well it’s because noon means nine because the day starts at six o’ clock, so three is noon, but we use it to mean twelve which is closer to midday, obviously

[–] PieMePlenty@lemmy.world 6 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

Hour hand -> hour = n
Minute hand -> minute = n * 5
It makes sense, there's just an algorithm attached to each pointer.

Hour -> 3 = 3
Minute -> 3 = 3 * 5 = 15

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

The first clocks didn't have a minute hand though.

[–] FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 8 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Relatively funny but gets worse the more you think about it.

The 6 stands for 6, not 30.

When we have AM and PM it would be dumb to have 1-24.

1 is the end of the 1st hour. 2 the end of the second. This is why it starts at 0.

[–] Hupf@feddit.org 3 points 8 hours ago

0

She's a witch!

[–] ssfckdt@lemmy.blahaj.zone 19 points 11 hours ago (3 children)

Somebody never had a clock with roman numerals and it shows

I remember getting into an argument with a grade school teacher over IIII because most such clocks put that for 4 instead of IV because of some fuckin reason

[–] Opisek@lemmy.world 14 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

I despise these so so much. IIII was historically NEVER correct. Some doofus decided to put that on a clock because it looks more symmetrical with the VIII on the other side. Terrible reasoning.

[–] naticus@lemmy.world 8 points 11 hours ago (4 children)

Weird, I've seen many analog clocks with Roman numerals but always IV for 4.

[–] topherclay@lemmy.world 16 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

It's actually called the "clockmakers four" or "watchmakers four." it's a thing.

[–] naticus@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago

Yeah I looked it up and saw it is a thing, and it's interesting. I wonder if the clock I'm thinking of was just a really cheap one that was labeled as you'd expect based on Roman numerals or whether some just didn't follow it.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 4 points 9 hours ago

To be fair, Google searching Roman numerals clocks give you about a 50/50 distribution.

I wasn't aware of this either and I suspect we're not alone. It's not highly noticeable and if there's a 50-50 chance won't even see it...

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[–] LanguageIsCool@lemmy.world 18 points 12 hours ago

The 6 means 30, both of which also mean 1/2

[–] JordanZ@lemmy.world 24 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Somebody gave me this clock…I just need the time.

[–] serenissi@lemmy.world 2 points 7 hours ago

piece of art

[–] TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee 7 points 11 hours ago
[–] MilitantAtheist@lemmy.world 21 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Clocks should use 24h format. AM/PM is completely useless.

[–] neonred@lemmy.world 6 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

No it's not, with a 12h format on an analog watch you can use the sun to find true north. It is also easier to read it when the hands have double the amount of degrees to indicate the number.

Edit -- digital watches should use 24h, I fully agree, maybe there was a misunderstanding because it's analog watches we're talking about here and these could stay 12h IMHO

[–] Hoimo@ani.social 4 points 8 hours ago (7 children)

How do you find north on a 12h face that wouldn't work with a 24h face? Because the method I know, requires correcting for the 12h circle.

[–] neonred@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Hoimo@ani.social 2 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, that's the method I know.

Divide the angle that is made in half

And that's how you correct for the 12h face.

[–] neonred@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Thought as much but never had any experience with 24h watches, so no comment on this from my side :)

[–] Hoimo@ani.social 2 points 25 minutes ago

With a 24h watch, you line up the hour hand with the sun. Because the sun does a full circle in 24h and the hour hand does the same, lining them up will always make 24 point north (on the northern hemisphere).

A compass is still the better option, because the magnetic field also points north in the southern hemisphere and doesn't have to be recalibrated when you move too far east or west.

[–] neonred@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

I have never seem a 24h wrist watch (I know they exist) aside from extremely seldom as wall clocks

[–] Hoimo@ani.social 1 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

I've looked for them, but they're very hard to find and expensive too. You can't just slap a 24h face on a 12h mechanism, so it's all custom and produced in low volumes. (I think it's technically possible to convert a 12h period into 24h by switching out a single gear, but that might ruin your minute hand too? I'm no clock maker.)

[–] bluewing@lemm.ee 1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

They don't have to be expensive, though such watches are less popular for everyday use. In fact I'm wearing a Vostok Kommendurski with a 12/24 hour dial. When I was a medic, I needed to record all my times in 24hr format on my run reports. I think I paid $35US delivered from Russia 15 or so years ago.

And no extra gear is needed to make an analog watch/clock indicate 24 hour time. Time doesn't change. You simple have one scale that reads from 12AM through 12PM and then at the next hour, (1PM) it simply gets renumbered to 13, 14, 15, 16 and so on until you reach 24 on the inside scale. Easy peasey.

But it is possible to build a watch/clock that the movement does move in 24 hour time and you would be correct it would a couple of extra gears to accomplish. But, it would also be a real pain to create a legible watch face with all those numbers on a reasonable sized watch. Far simpler and easier to print the two scales on the face and call it good.

[–] Hoimo@ani.social 1 points 39 minutes ago

You paid $35 for the watch, the delivery or both? Because I saw those Vostok watches with proper 24h faces, which is exactly what I'm looking for, but they're $140. I guess that's not super expensive for a watch, but I can get a much nicer 12h watch for that money.

And a double numbered clock face is the simple solution, probably more convenient to read, but also not really a conversation starter :)

Vostok Komandirskie

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[–] Corn@lemmy.ml 58 points 17 hours ago (14 children)
[–] edgemaster72@lemmy.world 44 points 17 hours ago (1 children)
[–] bluewing@lemm.ee 1 points 1 hour ago

Even the French figured out that decimalized time was stupid after a couple of years.

Which has added credence to the old saying that "The French follow no one. And no one follows the French."

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