Because it marks the end of one calendar day and the start of the next, it is technically neither before nor after noon. 12:00 AM is generally used to indicate the start of the day (midnight).
Understanding the Distinction Between Midnight and Noon
This system divides the 24 hours of a day into two distinct periods, which are labeled ante meridiem (AM) and post meridiem (PM). Military and aviation schedules typically avoid this issue by using the 24-hour clock.
AM, derived from ante meridiem, translates to "before midday" and encompasses the hours from sunrise to just before noon. Midnight in the 24-Hour Clock Format To eliminate ambiguity entirely, the international standard ISO 8601 utilizes the 24-hour clock format.
Understanding the Distinction Between Midnight and Noon
Confusion often arises because 12:m is not explicitly labeled as 00:m in standard 12-hour formats. 12:00 PM is used to indicate the middle of the day (noon).
More About What is midnight am or pm
Looking at What is midnight am or pm from another angle can help expand the discussion and give readers a second clear paragraph under the same section.
More perspective on What is midnight am or pm can make the topic easier to follow by connecting earlier points with a few simple takeaways.