I understand a clock face showing 12 at the top and numbers around 1 to 11, and then back to 12.
As a programmer, the issue of starting counting from zero or one is a massive issue.
But for time of day, we understand the clock goes 11:59, 12:00, 12:01, and that 12:00 is both midnight (and ongoing minute) and midday (and ongoing minute). I won't even start on the concept of "pre" and "post" meridiem and what 12:00 exactly means.
But what has always puzzled me is the use of minute marks that include a "60" at the top. I have always considered minutes as 00 to 59. But clearly some old clock faces considered that minutes, like hours, got 1 to 60, or 60, 1, to 59.
This leads me to wonder. Does the time, for those that created and used such clock faces, go (at around midday) :-
- 11:59
- 11:60 (midday)
- 12:01
Or does it go
- 11:59
- 12:60 (midday)
- 12:01
And then I wonder on seconds, using the same logic?
- 11:59:59
- 11:59:60 (midday)
- 11:60:01
- ...
- 11:60:59
- 11:60:60 (one minute after midday)
- 12:01:01
- 12:01:02
Or what?
Does anyone know what the actual logic was historically for the use of "60" as a minute, and why "60" was ever on a clock face?
And I know, leap seconds 23:59:60 exist, but that is a different matter!
