It seems perfectly logical and incontroversial that 12:00 P.M. is the same as noon and 12:00 A.M. is the same as midnight. Recent correspondence in The Times reveals the existence of an alternate view on the matter. Some people argue that noon can be neither ante nor post meridiem; either would be a contradiction in terms.
I disagree. Is one minute past noon considered post meridiem? (Answer: yes.) What about 30 seconds past noon? 1 second past noon? 1 millionth of a second past noon? Of course! By definition, any time after noon is P.M.
To specify 12:00 P.M. is not inherently nonsensical. It covers a period of time, one minute in duration, starting at noon and ending before 12:01:00. Any other interpretation is unrealistic. If I asked you to meet me at noon, would you automatically infer that I expect you to arrive at 12:00:00 and not a millisecond later? I think not.
I disagree. Is one minute past noon considered post meridiem? (Answer: yes.) What about 30 seconds past noon? 1 second past noon? 1 millionth of a second past noon? Of course! By definition, any time after noon is P.M.
To specify 12:00 P.M. is not inherently nonsensical. It covers a period of time, one minute in duration, starting at noon and ending before 12:01:00. Any other interpretation is unrealistic. If I asked you to meet me at noon, would you automatically infer that I expect you to arrive at 12:00:00 and not a millisecond later? I think not.
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