You can buy 24-hour digital clocks.
Stan Doore
----- Original Message -----
From: Jeremiah MacGregor
To: U.S. Metric Association
Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2009 11:31 PM
Subject: [USMA:42939] Re: Hot and dry
All the digital clocks that I have have one big problem. They can never be
set to display 24 hour time. The reason is they can only display a ones digit
on the far left. The people who made the clocks never made them so they can
display a two digit to handle the last four hours of the day. I once had a
digital watch that could be set to 24 hour time.
Jerry
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From: STANLEY DOORE <[email protected]>
To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, February 7, 2009 3:42:33 PM
Subject: [USMA:42933] Re: Hot and dry
Sure. There are 24-hour analog clocks as you describe. However, I suspect
12-hour analog clocks are used because they are easier to read. Digital clocks
don't have the problem that analog clocks do.
Stan Doore
----- Original Message -----
From: Jeremiah MacGregor
To: U.S. Metric Association
Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2009 9:47 AM
Subject: [USMA:42921] Re: Hot and dry
It would seem that the continued existence of the 12 hour clock may have a
lot to do with the existence of 12 hour time pieces. Has anyone ever
encountered a 24 h analog clock where the top number is zero, a six appears
where the three is now, the twelve is at the bottom and eighteen is where the
nine is now? I have seen some 24 hour clocks that were really 12 h clocks with
a 13 to 24 written by 1 to 12. These look cluttered.
Are most UK clocks in 12 or 24 h format or both? It must be very confusing
to have to switch between the two, especially if you are a person who refuses
to learn or understand both.
It would probably be best if the US adopted the 24 h clock officially as
well as the metric system. Especially in airline time tables. I know of one
person who missed an air flight when she arrived at the airport 12 hours late.
I wonder how often this happens and what is usually done to resolve the
problem. I wonder what Americans do when they are in other countries and
encounter the 24 h clock in written form and on clocks?
The perfect opportunity to have changed to the 24 hour clock was when
digital clocks first came out. But that didn't happen.
It was interesting to read how the 24 h time is spoken in the UK rail
system. For instance not say zero when midnight is meant. The examples did
not state how time is spoken past noon (12:00).
I recently saw the movie slumdog millionaire. At the very end of the movie
there was a singing and dance scene that took place in the railroad station.
The 24 hour digital clock was very visible and it was filmed around midnight.
You could see the clock display 23:59:ss and then switch to 00:00:00 and then
to about 00:01:ss.
Jerry
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From: Martin Vlietstra <[email protected]>
To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, February 7, 2009 3:38:07 AM
Subject: [USMA:42919] Re: Hot and dry
May I refer you to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24-hour_clock.
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From: Jeremiah MacGregor [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 07 February 2009 00:17
To: [email protected]; U.S. Metric Association
Subject: Re: [USMA:42818] Re: Hot and dry
Martin,
Thanks.
Would you say the 24 hour clock is used in all other aspects of public life
in the UK ? Where would I find it used and not used?
Jerry
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From: Martin Vlietstra <[email protected]>
To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, February 2, 2009 1:06:57 AM
Subject: [USMA:42818] Re: Hot and dry
Jerry,
If you visit http://www.journeycheck.com/southwesttrains/ and browse, you
will see that British railway timetables use the 24 hour clock.
