Military time must sound complex to most of us but trust me it is not. Military time is operating through day and night. This method was essentially traced and renounced by the Navy crew during World war I. For relevance, not only military specialists but also regular official workers use this. However, one who has not served in the military would find it bothering but the simplicity may lean you toward its relevance.
What is Military Clock: Things to Know About
Apart from the United States, another form of military time is the 24-hour clock. This layout of timekeeping runs from midnight to midnight. The first mechanical 24 hours clock was introduced in fourteenth-century Italy. Where typically the last time in a day which is 24 hours ends denoting zero hours. Later in the seventeenth century, Germany introduced the new time formation of multiplying the dials (12×2). However, in modern days, the adaptation varies from country to country. Some adopted the form of 12 hours whereas some adopted the 24 hours. Some nations even adopted both of them. However the well-known and admired one is the 19th-century 24-hour one. Wherever you travel it never disappoints and will fail you.
What is the Difference Between Military Time and Standard Time
Military time continues to run in a 24 hour manner. Where the standard time is divided into two twelve hour blocks. Also, AM and PM run along to understand the clear division of day and night. However, military time could confuse us with different time zones. However, the most visible difference is in which hours we express. The Military uses a special two-digit number to identify. Here PM and AM are not necessary. Midnight starts at 0000 which is 12 o’clock at night and ends at 1100 which is 11 o’clock morning. However while in standard timing, we identify the time with one to twelve. Also from midnight to noon, we use AM and later use PM.
How does Military Time Work: How to Understand
If you are curious to find out how military time works follow these simple steps.
Learn the Basic Layout of the Military Clock
You may wonder if maybe the clock has something different but that is not. Or maybe wondered if it tickles differently but that too is your disappointment not either. It only differs with dials with standard timing. Dials are typically the body of a clock. With a standard clock, it has one to twelve numbers on it. Where in the military clock starting with zero it has 23 numbers mentioned in it. As well as with a digital clock. The military clock runs from midnight known as 0000 hours till later midnight. In other words, it starts with “Zero hundred Hours”. It’s typical usage to mention the end of the day. The day Ends with 2359 hours. For standard time which is respectively 12.00 AM and 11.59 PM. Also, an important thing to put a colon to separate hours and minutes is avoidable in Military clocks.
How to Understand the hours between Midnight to Noon
In military time there are four digits. It’s very different from regular standard time. It starts with a zero on it. However, two distinct ideas which are confusing are day and night. However, we know military time starts at midnight and ends at midnight.
From midnight to noon these four digits include zero at its start and the end. For example, 1 pm is denoted as 0100 hours. Here is the chart.
1.00 AM- 0100 hours
2.00 AM- 0200 hours
3.00 AM- 0300 hours
4.00 AM- 0400 hours
5.00 AM- 0500 hours
6.00 AM- 0600 hours
7.00 AM- 0700 hours
10.00 AM- 1000 hours
11.00 AM- 1100 hours
12.00 AM- 1200 hours
How to Understand the Hours between the Afternoon and the Next Midnight
Keeping a track of military time from the afternoon till next midnight is a bit complex. It is not an “oh zero-five” kind of situation. However, at noon, the digits break into 1200 and then start to count, maintaining continuation. It does not start all over again until it’s a new day. Therefore 1.00 PM counts as 1300 hours and 11 PM counts as 2300 hours. Here is the chart for your reference.
1 PM- 1300 hours
2 PM- 1400 hours
3 PM- 1500 hours
4 PM- 1600 hours
5 PM- 1700 hours
6 PM- 1800 hours
7 PM- 1900 hours
10 PM- 2200 hours
11 PM- 2300 hours
Learn How to Keep Track of Minutes in Military Time
Now you may be concerned about how to track the minutes in military time. It’s a bit tricky but a little practice will hang you there. When you have to tell the minutes as well as the hours you have to break down the four digits into two forms with the tens and ones. Like the first two digits will stand for hours and the last two digits will stand for minutes from left to right. Say for example it’s 1.20 AM in standard or regular time. In military time 1 means 0100 and adding 20 minutes to its time would be 0120. The first zero would be intact. That means when someone asks you what the military time is you say “zero-one-twenty” hours. Here are some more references for you.
12.05 AM: 0005 hours (zero zero zero five hours)
1.45 AM: 0145 hours (zero one forty-five hours)
11.27 AM: 1127 hours (eleven twenty-seven hours)
1.25 PM: 1325 hours (thirteen twenty-five hours)
11.09 PM: 2309 hours (twenty-three zero nine hours )
Did you ever think that it will be so easy to understand military time? Emergency services like hospitals, care units, and transport services use military time. So from now on, I am sure if you come across these digits on timing boards they won’t seem distant to you. Happy reading!
Also read: Types of Military Services
