From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,9fbc059a74d74032 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-05-30 08:46:44 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!isdnet!psinet-france!psiuk-f4!psiuk-p4!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Leap Seconds Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 11:39:29 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: <9f347i$jo1$1@nh.pace.co.uk> References: <9elpii$30i$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3B0ED67B.E40A4E06@averstar.com> <9f0ciq$itb$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9f2ue6$hcm$1@nh.pace.co.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: 136.170.200.133 X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 991237170 20225 136.170.200.133 (30 May 2001 15:39:30 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 30 May 2001 15:39:30 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:7883 Date: 2001-05-30T15:39:30+00:00 List-Id: I'm suspecting that if you add enough seconds to the clock, eventually, those seconds become a day. The thing about leap-seconds is that they can be positive or negative - probably going to your point about rotation about the axis rather than around the sun. Since they started adding in leap-seconds, they've always been positive. In any case, my point was that your watch and my watch can both be ticking off seconds in relative synch even though my watch says "4:30am, Tuesday" {actually it doesn't "say" anything - you have to look at it.} and your watch says "3:15pm, Wednesday" You can therefore safely ignore leap-seconds and leap-years as long as all we're doing is saying "Let's meet for a beer at Ruby Tuesdays in The Gardens Mall, Palm Beach Gardens, FL (free plug there, guys!) in one hour, thirty two minutes and 15 seconds." As long as no leap-seconds or leap-years happen between now and then, we're fine (depending on traffic). Its when you have to span over long stretches, that time and the calendar get to be a problem. And let's please not even mention the Gregorian calendar! Time can be a *very* confusing business! MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com Web: http://www.mcondic.com/ > > Leap years (adding a day) compensate for the revolution of the earth > around the sun, so we don't end up ((365/2)*(4/3)) years later with snow > on the 4th of July in New York City. > > But I thought leap seconds compensated for the rotation of the earth, > rather than its revolution around the sun, since otherwise it would > eventually (12*60*60 leap seconds later) be very bright at midnight, > local time at the equator. > > If I am going to Saturn I should not care about the rotation of the > earth until I return.