TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Midnight, noon, etc. From:Eric Haddock <eric -at- ENGAGENET -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 14 Aug 1996 09:10:34 -0500
Midnight is the first minute of a new day--it's morning--so it should be a.m.
Noon is the apex of the sun and every minute after that is another minute
toward the end of the day, so it should be p.m.
So, in my thinking you could never go wrong with 12 p.m. being
noon--because that's what it is, p.m., and 12 a.m. being midnight. 1 a.m. is
in the morning--no one gets confused over that. 1 p.m. is in the afternoon.
My electronics all use 12 p.m. as noon and 12 a.m. as midnight. Watches,
VCRs, computers, and whatnot are all behind me. :)
12 M has got to be the most unusual notation I've ever heard of. I
wouldn't know what to think if I actually saw it. Glad I haven't!
"Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words."
-- Mark Twain
TECHWR-L List Information
To send a message about technical communication to 2500+ list readers,
E-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send administrative commands
ALL other questions or problems concerning the list
should go to the listowner, Eric Ray, at ejray -at- ionet -dot- net -dot-