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Why does the USA not use the 24 hour clock?
- Thread starter Happybunny
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I'd make sure my kids only ever used metric, I ain't raising no imperial unit thinkers!
Now, can someone please direct me to the thread where we are debating DD-MM-YY versus MM-DD-YY?
There isn't one I'm afraid, as it's obvious to all that DD-MM-YY is far superior.
...Now, can someone please direct me to the thread where we are debating DD-MM-YY versus MM-DD-YY?
Just a two digit year? They'll be sorry come Y3.1K
3 systems
It's not two competing systems, it's three. The USA uses their own american system of measurements, based on, but not quite the same, as imperial. Biggest difference is is the Pint, american pint is 20% less than an imperial one. Some of us need to learn all three systems because a few can't be bothered to use the world standard.
It's not two competing systems, it's three. The USA uses their own american system of measurements, based on, but not quite the same, as imperial. Biggest difference is is the Pint, american pint is 20% less than an imperial one. Some of us need to learn all three systems because a few can't be bothered to use the world standard.
It seems clear, from this thread, that there is no "world standard." I prefer it that way. As soon as we dictate one language, one unit of measurement, one monetary unit, etc, I'm out.
OK, call me thick, call me dumb, but always call me for dinner.
Did I miss a wink or something, are you inferring that the 3 PM train is chronically 30 minutes late??
Canadian system is similar to "British Dad" system... we "officially" converted in the 1970s (iirc) but because of a certain, um, stubborn neighbour with a dominant culture and manufacturing segment the transition has not been total. Roads are marked in Km, but when talk about how far away a place is Canadians will tell you how long it takes. "How far is it to Torrana?" "'Bout an hour, eh? If you stop for a Timmy's it'll add about 15 minutes."
Our weather reports are in Celsius, and in our house the outdoor thermometer is also Celsius ... but the thermostats for the heat are still Fahrenheit. Ironically, I can change the the thermostats to read Cº, but that doesn't make sense to me. I'd rather tell my wife I'm cranking the heat to 72º since they're calling for -6º tonight (1st in F, the 2nd in C).
Our beer comes in ml, if it's in a can or bottle, but by the pint if you're in a bar. Whether it's a British pint or the 20% smaller American pint is anybody's guess.
I've seen a sign in a supermarket "Buy a 2lb ham, and get 250g of potato salad free!" When you pay for the ham, it's rung up in kilos of course.
We ask for a gallon of paint, but we get 3.78l. I don't know if this is the British or 20% smaller US gallon. But if you don't need a gallon you ask for litre, and get 946ml.
If you are shopping for milk you ask for a gallon, and get 4 litres. Or you ask for a litre and get a litre. But if you want half a litre you ask for a pint, which is 500ml.
I'll drive several km to buy wood in feet and inches. We'll measure the size of our house in sq ft, but tell you how big the lot is in metres.
This is all based on my generation's experiences - I was still in highschool during the height of the transition. Our younger nieces and nephews think we're crazy, and are mostly metric.
As a photographer working in a darkroom, I took to metric volume measurements very early. With the "Imperial" system, you never really knew if you were working with the American or British sized units. Was the measuring cup made in the USA calibrated for the American market or the Canadian market? Metric was far far easier.
if europeans need a 24 hour clock to tell the difference between 3 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon, then I see no reason why they shouldn't use one.....here in the US, we don't seem to have that problem, but hey, if having a meeting with a client at 10 is going to send you into nervous confusion about whether that's in the evening or morning......then by all means, use a 24 hour clock
I like the way they do time in East Africa.
Since it's close to the equator, days are pretty much uniformly 12 hours long, with dawn at 6am and dusk at 6pm.
The local tradition is to have day time running from 1 to 12 (corresponding with 7am to 6pm) then night time running from 1 till 12 (7pm to 6am).
So having a meeting at 8 o'clock is obviously just after lunch...
Since it's close to the equator, days are pretty much uniformly 12 hours long, with dawn at 6am and dusk at 6pm.
The local tradition is to have day time running from 1 to 12 (corresponding with 7am to 6pm) then night time running from 1 till 12 (7pm to 6am).
So having a meeting at 8 o'clock is obviously just after lunch...
One quick thing.
We really party over here. In Stockholm, it's not uncommon to go out at 5pm (17) and stay out until the bars/clubs close at 5am (05), therefore, a 24h clock is quite useful* ... kinda funny how you used the inverse example but with work/clients ... shows you where your perspective is balanced toward.
LOL
*for those not in the know, for 6 months of the year, 05 and 17 are both strong sunlight and for the other six months, 05 and 17 are incredibly dark.
I guess you haven't read this thread at all. In spoken language, 10 is usually ten, no matter is it 10:00 or 22:00. If there is a need to emphasize it, people usually say "ten in the evening" or "ten in the morning". I might as well ask why do you use AM and PM if it's always so obvious what the time is.
There are cases where it isn't always so obvious, especially if other time zones are involved, for example:
"What time is the Olympic hockey final on TV?"
"Starts at ten"
"Which ten, the games are played in London?"
one quick thing
you're not much of a partier if you get confused about whether the bars close at 5pm or 5am
but if that's a problem for you, then I can see how a 24 hour clock might reduce your stress levelOut of curiosity, is Fahrenheit or Celsius used on oven temperatures and cooking instructions in Canada and Europe?
Oven temps are always nice, even numbers. My oven only goes up in 5 degree increments. Recipes will always say "Cook for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven"
Now, 350 F is 176.6666 in C. You can't set an oven to that. 175 or 180 C would be too cold or hot and that 10 minute number would change. Is F used around the world for ovens?
Oven temps are always nice, even numbers. My oven only goes up in 5 degree increments. Recipes will always say "Cook for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven"
Now, 350 F is 176.6666 in C. You can't set an oven to that. 175 or 180 C would be too cold or hot and that 10 minute number would change. Is F used around the world for ovens?
that's even funnier......officially you have a 24 hour clock but in reality everybody uses a 12 hour clock except when they're trying to figure out what time it is in a different time zone?
It's Celsius here. I have only used recipes with Celsius but I don't see that as a big problem. Recipes are only directional anyway, your chicken breast might be slightly bigger than the one used in the recipe, hence requiring longer cooking time. You can usually see when the food is ready if you're more experienced, I rarely use a clock.
that's even funnier......you have a 24 hour clock but in reality everybody uses a 12 hour clock except when they're trying to figure out what time it is in a different time zone?
That was just an example where distinction between night and day is needed. American clock is 24-hour as well, it's not like the day changes every 12 hours. You just use AM/PM and 12 digits while we use a number for every hour.
In the USA use of the 24:00 clock is restricted mainly to technical and institutional use: military, air traffic control; and the like.
The fact of the matter is there isn't really any compelling reason for most civilians to change. If I tell my friend I'll meet her at nine tomorrow evening, its just as precise as telling her to rendezvous at 21 hundred hours. And considerably less intimidating, since we are most likely going to have a glass of wine in a bar, rather than blowing up a bridge or something. And since neither of us are raging alcoholics, I guess I could probably dispense with the "evening" modifier - since very few people I know start tippling wine at nine in the morning.
Come to think of it - thats probably why the French and Germans DO use the 24 clock. 'Cause if you invited one of them to meet you at the bar at 9.30, more than a few of them probably would show up in the morning.
So thats my answer: Americans don't use the 24:00 clock because we aren't all alcoholics.
The fact of the matter is there isn't really any compelling reason for most civilians to change. If I tell my friend I'll meet her at nine tomorrow evening, its just as precise as telling her to rendezvous at 21 hundred hours. And considerably less intimidating, since we are most likely going to have a glass of wine in a bar, rather than blowing up a bridge or something. And since neither of us are raging alcoholics, I guess I could probably dispense with the "evening" modifier - since very few people I know start tippling wine at nine in the morning.
Come to think of it - thats probably why the French and Germans DO use the 24 clock. 'Cause if you invited one of them to meet you at the bar at 9.30, more than a few of them probably would show up in the morning.
So thats my answer: Americans don't use the 24:00 clock because we aren't all alcoholics.
I've only ever seen oC, recipes are almost always in oC too.
It's really not necessary to change the 10min time if you use 175oC instead of the true conversion to 176.6, it's a negligible difference!
Ive lived in the US and in south eastern asia so i've had experience with both the empirical and SI system. i've lived in the US for 7 years and for the life of me, i still can't remember the exact number of feet in a mile. on the other hand, i can easily recall the number of mL in a liter, meter to a kilometer etc. even celsius temperature.
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why not set it to 177?
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why not set it to 177?
I don't see much need for the 24 hour clock personally. Exceptions do apply, as mentioned previously, where needed in specific fields.
now the metric system should have been and still should be adopted by the US but that is another story. hey we need jobs right? making and changing all the road signs to metric would be a good way to get people working at least.
now the metric system should have been and still should be adopted by the US but that is another story. hey we need jobs right? making and changing all the road signs to metric would be a good way to get people working at least.
Like I said recipes here are in oC anyway and would just state a round number. Even if I found one in F I needed to convert my oven doesn't do 1oC increments, there is no point. 5 or 10 is normal and that's quite sufficient. Cooking is both an art and a science, you don't have to stick to the exact times and temperatures anyway.
i think the only reason why we haven't switched over is football. Players would have to run a bit farther.