>> The standard nationwide time for making changes was 3:01 a.m. Eastern
>> Standard Time, which would be 12:01 a.m. Pacifc Standard Time, still
>> on Sunday. (A day does began at 12:01 a.m.; it's not just a style >> issue.)
> What if you're keeping track of time to seconds?
> Is "one second after midnight" _really_ part of the previous "day"?
> What about the middle of the day?
> Is "one second after mid-day" (12:00 noon) really still part of the > 'morning'?
> I'll agree that there is an ambiguity about whether 'midnight' is part
> of the preceeding or succeeding day. I will, however, argue that if
> it is any interval _past_ "midnight" -- be it a minute, a second, a
> millisecond, a micro-second, a femto-second, or any smaller interval
> -- that there is no question that the time-tick is in the 'new', not > the 'old' one.
There is certainly no argument from me on this point. For most things,
12:01 a.m. is sufficiently accurate. But when greater accuracy is needed, you are quite correct.
Because of the ambiguity you cite, for most purposes 11:59 p.m. or
12:01 a.m. is sufficiently accurate. Many businesses where safety or operations are concerned, prohibit the use of any instructions involving 12 midnight or 12 noon. They only allow the use of 11:59 p.m. or 12:01 a.m., or in the case of noon, 11:59 a.m. or 12:01 p.m.
Wes Leatherock snipped-for-privacy@aol.com snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com