As an expert in the field of timekeeping and the various conventions that have been established over the centuries, I can provide a detailed explanation of the confusion surrounding the terms "noon" and "midnight" in the context of the 12-hour clock system. The 12-hour clock is a time convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods: a.m. (from the Latin "ante meridiem," meaning "before midday") and p.m. (from the Latin "post meridiem," meaning "after midday").
The term "noon" traditionally refers to 12 o'clock in the middle of the day, which is the exact midpoint between sunrise and sunset. In the 12-hour clock system, this is represented as 12:00 PM. The use of "PM" here is to indicate that it is after midday, which is the period from noon until midnight.

On the other hand, "midnight" is the exact midpoint between sunset and sunrise, and it marks the beginning of a new day. In the 12-hour clock system, there is a convention that can lead to confusion. Some people use "12:00 AM" to refer to midnight at the start of a day, which is technically 00:00 in the 24-hour clock system. However, others argue that since "noon" is neither AM nor PM, "12:00 PM" should be used to refer to the end of the day at midnight, which is 24:00 in the 24-hour clock system.

This discrepancy has led to different conventions being adopted in different regions and contexts. For instance, in legal and business contexts, it is often important to specify the exact time, and "12:00 AM" is commonly used to mean the start of a day, while "12:00 PM" means the end of a day. In casual conversation, however, people might use "12:00 midnight" to refer to the start of a day and "12:00 noon" to refer to the middle of the day.

It is important to note that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has established a standard for timekeeping, which is the 24-hour clock system. According to ISO 8601, the start of a day is at 00:00 and the end of a day is at 24:00. This standard is used in many international contexts to avoid confusion.

In conclusion, while the terms "noon" and "midnight" can be represented as 12:00 PM and 12:00 AM respectively in the 12-hour clock system, it is crucial to consider the context in which they are used. For clarity and to avoid confusion, especially in formal or international settings, it is often best to use the 24-hour clock system or to specify the time in relation to a particular event or deadline.

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Another convention sometimes used is that, since 12 noon is by definition neither ante meridiem (before noon) nor post meridiem (after noon), then 12 a.m. refers to midnight at the start of the specified day (00:00) and 12 p.m. to midnight at the end of that day (24:00).Aug 9, 2007read more >>