Hello, I'm an expert in the field of timekeeping and calendar systems. When it comes to determining whether a year is a leap year or not, there are specific rules that we follow. Let's delve into the intricacies of the Gregorian calendar, which is the most widely used civil calendar today, to answer your question about the year 700.
The Gregorian calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in October 1582 as a reform to the Julian calendar. The primary goal was to bring the date of the vernal equinox closer to March 21, which had been drifting away due to the inaccuracies in the Julian system. To achieve this, ten days were dropped from the calendar, and a new method for calculating leap years was established.
Step 1: English AnswerThe rules for determining a leap year in the Gregorian calendar are as follows:
1. **A year that is evenly divisible by 4 is a leap year**, except for years that are also divisible by 100.
2. **However, if a year is divisible by 100, it is not a leap year unless it is also divisible by 400**.
Using these rules, let's evaluate the year 700:
- The year 700 is divisible by 4 (700 ÷ 4 = 175), which would suggest it could be a leap year.
- However, it is also divisible by 100 (700 ÷ 100 = 7), which means we must apply the second rule.
According to the second rule, a century year (like 700) is not a leap year unless it is also divisible by 400. Since 700 is not divisible by 400 (700 ÷ 400 = 1.75), it does not meet the criteria for being a leap year.
Now, let's address the reference content you provided:
- Every year divisible by 4 is a leap year, if it is not a century. This is correct but incomplete without the additional rule for century years.
- Every 4th century is a leap year, but no other century is a leap year. This statement is misleading. It suggests that only every 4th century year is a leap year, which is not true. The correct interpretation is that every century year divisible by 400 is a leap year, not just every 4th century.
- The examples given (800, 1200, and 2000) are correct in the sense that they are all leap years because they are divisible by 400.
In conclusion, the year 700 is
not a leap year because, although it is divisible by 4, it is also a century year and not divisible by 400.
**
read more >>