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Why do clocks have 12 hours instead of 24?
Anyway, as near as I can tell, the 12-hour clock goes way back to ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. The Egyptians used a 12-hour sundial to tell time during the daytime and a 12-hour water clock at night. Early mechanical clocks showed all 24 hours, but over time, clockmakers found the 12-hour system simpler and cheaper.
Why do clocks show 12 hours?
The Ancient Egyptians liked to count in twelves and they divided the day into two lots of twelve hours – 12 for daytime and 12 for nighttime. So one whole day lasts for 24 hours. Each hour lasts the same amount of time and can be divided up into 60 minutes; and each of those minutes can be divided up into 60 seconds.
Why are there no 24 hour clocks?
Our 24-hour day comes from the ancient Egyptians who divided day-time into 10 hours they measured with devices such as shadow clocks, and added a twilight hour at the beginning and another one at the end of the day-time, says Lomb. “Night-time was divided in 12 hours, based on the observations of stars.
Do 24 hour clocks exist?
The 24-hour clock, popularly referred to in the United States and some other countries as military time, is the convention of timekeeping in which the day runs from midnight to midnight and is divided into 24 hours. In countries where the 12-hour clock is dominant, some professions prefer to use the 24-hour clock.
Who came up with 12-hour clock?
The 12-hour clock can be traced back as far as Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. Both an Egyptian sundial for daytime use and an Egyptian water clock for night-time use were found in the tomb of Pharaoh Amenhotep I. Dating to c. 1500 BC, these clocks divided their respective times of use into 12 hours each.
Does China use 12 or 24-hour clock?
Both the 12-hour and 24-hour notations are used in spoken and written Chinese. To avoid confusion, time on schedules and public notices are typically formatted in the 24-hour system, so the times 19:45 and 07:45 are understood to be 12 hours apart from each other.
What is a 24-hour clock?
The 24-hour clock is more often shown on digital clocks and is written in a 4-digit form, with the first two digits representing the hour and the last two representing the minutes. There is no need for a.m. or p.m. as each time represents each hour in a 24-hour day.
How to convert 12-hour to 24-hour time on a digital watch?
None of us is living in the 90s era of digital wristwatches anymore. So whenever you need to convert between 12 hour format and 24 hour format, use this 12-hour to 24-hour converter. Simply enter the 12-hour time value into the box on the left and select between ante meridiem (am) or post meridiem (pm) options.
How does a 12 hour clock face work?
Basically you have a circle on the ground with 12 markings (just like in a normal 12 hour clock face), and a tall narrow column at the centre standing vertically. The markings are made so that at any time of day, the centre column’s shadow will fall on the marking corresponding to that time.
What is the difference between 12 hour time and 24 hour time?
If the time is between 1:00 AM and 12:59 PM, 24 hour time is same as 12 hour time. If the time is between 1:00 PM and 11:59 PM, we add 12 hours to input time.