What day does 'midnight' belong to?

Forums › Off topic › What day does 'midnight' belong to?

CYaBro

4732 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1195

ID Verified

Trusted

#259963 3-Nov-2019 10:50

When someone / something says 'midnight on this particular day/date' when does that actually mean?

Is it 12am of the referenced day/date or the next day?

EG: Take today's date 3/11/19: If someone/something said to you 'midnight 3rd november 2019' would you take that as meaning last night or tonight?

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

1 | 2

1413 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 556

#2347748 3-Nov-2019 10:58

Midnight is the first hour of the day. So Midnight 3/11/19 is 12am before 1am 3/11/19

firefuze

510 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 85

#2347749 3-Nov-2019 10:59

If someone said “midnight tonight” (3rd Nov) then it would more correctly be 12am 4th Nov

Tracer

343 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 151

#2347750 3-Nov-2019 10:59

Just think of the 24-hour clock. Midnight is 00:00.

CYaBro

4732 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1195

ID Verified

Trusted

#2347751 3-Nov-2019 11:08

Interesting.

I normally take 'midnight' as meaning the end of the day.
If someone said 12am then I would take that as the start of the day.

Reason I ask is I got some New World Scratch & Score cards on Friday and the person in store said the promotion ends this weekend.
In the Terms and Conditions on the back of the cards themselves, it says "Promotion runs 16/9/19-2/11/19. Game Play closes 3/11/19."

I took that as meaning that you could still go online on the 3/11/19 and enter the promotion.

However on going to the website today it says the promotion has ended, and in the terms and conditions on the website it says:

"The Promotion runs from 16 September 2019 - 2 November 2019, or until stores run out of code cards that enable you to play the game online, whichever happens first during the Promotion Period.

The online Scratch & Score game closes at midnight 3 November 2019."

Not fussed, it just brought up an interesting question in regards to 'midnight'. :)

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

shk292

2926 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2046

Lifetime subscriber

#2347778 3-Nov-2019 12:13

This is why in the military, nothing ever happens at midnight. Timing around midnight is always specified as 2359 or 0001; less room for error that way.

gregmcc

2174 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 837

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2347781 3-Nov-2019 12:39

it's not hard to figure out, take any digital device with a 7 day or more calendar (digital watch/computer etc...)

set it to 2nd Nov 23:59:00 and see what happens when it rolls over from 23:59.59 to 00:00.00 or 11:59.59pm to 12:00.00am - the day changes, so the new day starts at 12:00.00

Lenovo

Shop now for Lenovo laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

CYaBro

4732 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1195

ID Verified

Trusted

#2347782 3-Nov-2019 12:40

Looks like New World have realised the confusion created as the website is taking entries again. :)

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

Hammerer

2480 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 802

Lifetime subscriber

#2347783 3-Nov-2019 12:42

Midnight can be either day depending upon the level of formality in our language. But there is only one formal/technical convention.

Informal usage is that midnight happens in today's night. Rounding of time means that midnight is only approximate and can be in either day.
Formal usage is usually time to the minute so midnight is always exact as it is in the military. The confusion over the nomenclature, am or pm, arises from noon which is the midday meridian. The nomenclature for midnight is simply the opposite of Noon. As noon is technically neither am (ante meridian) or pm (post meridian) the nomenclature is decided by convention. The current convention - in the past it has been different - is that noon is 12pm and therefore midnight is 12am.
Technical usage in modern times with computers and other electronic logic requires time to the second or smaller part of a second.

This is the same type of problem as change of century.

Edited to fix bad links.

Tinkerisk

4906 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3824

#2347817 3-Nov-2019 15:19

shk292:

This is why in the military, nothing ever happens at midnight. Timing around midnight is always specified as 2359 or 0001; less room for error that way.

And here we go for the first error: one should mark it as 2359Z or 0001Z - nevertheless 0000Z is clear as well since 2400Z doesn't exist. ;-)

Qui nihil scit, omnia credere debet. - He who knows nothing must believe everything.
Firewalls do NOT stop dragons. Really not!
I avoid Big Tech. They try hard to dictate technology and „culture“ across borders.
In effect we have everything to hide from someone, and no idea who „someone“ is.

empacher48

377 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 283

#2347818 3-Nov-2019 15:29

Tinkerisk:

shk292:

This is why in the military, nothing ever happens at midnight. Timing around midnight is always specified as 2359 or 0001; less room for error that way.

And here we go for the first error: one should mark it as 2359Z or 0001Z - nevertheless 0000Z is clear as well since 2400Z doesn't exist. ;-)

but 2359Z is currently 1259NZDT, 0001Z is 1301NZDT...

Tinkerisk

4906 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3824

#2347819 3-Nov-2019 15:40

empacher48:

but 2359Z is currently 1259NZDT, 0001Z is 1301NZDT...

Right. So far away from any night but inline with UTC :-) If you use military times, it has nothing to do with "midnight" or "noon" (with one exception which is accidently here in Europe).

Qui nihil scit, omnia credere debet. - He who knows nothing must believe everything.
Firewalls do NOT stop dragons. Really not!
I avoid Big Tech. They try hard to dictate technology and „culture“ across borders.
In effect we have everything to hide from someone, and no idea who „someone“ is.

AliExpress

Shop now on AliExpress (affiliate link).

Jase2985

13772 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6254

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2347820 3-Nov-2019 15:43

Tracer:

Just think of the 24-hour clock. Midnight is 00:00.

the military have no 0000, its 2359 and 0001

the letter/s on the end dictates the time zone

Tinkerisk

4906 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3824

#2347821 3-Nov-2019 15:48

Jase2985:

Tracer:

Just think of the 24-hour clock. Midnight is 00:00.

the military have no 0000, its 2359 and 0001

Ouuummm, now it starts to get very interesting ... I might have been served in a gerkhin squadron as a flying officer in command without notice. I wonder what my clock might have displayed on the flight deck.

Qui nihil scit, omnia credere debet. - He who knows nothing must believe everything.
Firewalls do NOT stop dragons. Really not!
I avoid Big Tech. They try hard to dictate technology and „culture“ across borders.
In effect we have everything to hide from someone, and no idea who „someone“ is.

Jase2985

13772 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6254

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2347822 3-Nov-2019 15:53

Tinkerisk:

Jase2985:

Tracer:

Just think of the 24-hour clock. Midnight is 00:00.

the military have no 0000, its 2359 and 0001

Ouuummm, now it starts to get very interesting ... I might have been served in a gerkhin squadron as a flying officer in command without notice. I wonder what my clock might have displayed on the flight deck.

no idea but nothing ever happens at 0000 because it can be confused as 1200 if you use the 12h clock. hence they have no 0000

Tinkerisk

4906 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3824

#2347823 3-Nov-2019 15:58

Jase2985:

Tinkerisk:

Jase2985:

Tracer:

Just think of the 24-hour clock. Midnight is 00:00.

the military have no 0000, its 2359 and 0001

Ouuummm, now it starts to get very interesting ... I might have been served in a gerkhin squadron as a flying officer in command without notice. I wonder what my clock might have displayed on the flight deck.

no idea but nothing ever happens at 0000 because it can be confused as 1200 if you use the 12h clock. hence they have no 0000

Sure they have, they usually don't take military actions because of "some confused funny guys" possibly starting an attack too early or too late (or at lunch time when Zulu doesn't show up). Military time is always a 24h system, never 12h ;-)

Coming back to the topic: "When someone / something says 'midnight on this particular day/date' when does that actually mean?"

It means not much. One should say i.e. "Midnight November 3/4" to mark the transition clearly.

Qui nihil scit, omnia credere debet. - He who knows nothing must believe everything.
Firewalls do NOT stop dragons. Really not!
I avoid Big Tech. They try hard to dictate technology and „culture“ across borders.
In effect we have everything to hide from someone, and no idea who „someone“ is.

1 | 2