which ever you use, either AM/PM or the 24hr clock it seems their are 2 times a day that also have another name associated to them...my question is...why ?

those times would be 12pm otherwise known as NOON

and 12am otherwise known as MIDNIGHT

anyone out there know why this is ??

Tank

My guess?

Because 11:59 am is followed by 12:00 pm and 11:59 pm is followed by 12:00 am.

To differenciate for those that have trouble with the difference, they call one Midnite and one Noon.

This is only a guess.

the real question is why numbers are used at all. it's morning, afternoon, evening, or night.

we don't call the beginning of summer A and the middle of summer A+1, the end of summer A+2. fall would become B, B+2, or B+3.

in the beginning of the use of clocks, they had only one hand, the hour hand.

some big muckety muck probably decided, when he said 3:12, he expected his appointment to be there precisely at that appointed time, so the big shot would know how long to keep his underling waiting.

Because saying "I had a twelve PM'er" doesn't have the same affect as saying "I had a nooner."

J.Redleg

i like yours better.

Ok, gotta clean the soda off the desk now. Thanks guys.

Ding..Ding..Ding...I'm goin wit J.Red's

Tank

"Noon" is actually related to the number "9", not twelve.

so go figure.

For children, the numbers #1 and #2 are related to bathroom procedures.

JonR

"ticking away, the moments that make up the dog day,".....

fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way

LAST YEAR I WAS 30

LAST MONTH I WAS 40

LAST WEEK I WAS 50

YESTERDAY I WAS 60

THIS MORNING I WAS 70

WHAT TIME IS IT NOW?

its time for a beer.

hey pops, get some sleep

"kicking around on a piece of ground in yer home town".....

" "Noon" is actually related to the number "9", not twelve. "

That's correct - but it originally stood for the 9th hour of sunlight in the day (or around 3p.m.).

From the Online Etymology Dictionary: "[The] Meaning shift from "3 p.m." to "12 p.m." began during the 12th century, when time of Church prayers shifted from ninth hour to sixth hour, or perhaps because the customary time of the midday meal shifted, or both."