What is the Full Form of AM and PM? What Does it Stand for?

AM and PM Full Form: Back in time, people used the dark and light contrast in a 24 hour cycle to figure out the time. The position of the sun in the day helped in determining the time and the position of the moon and stars did the same work in the night. Ancient Egyptians used to think that day and night were of the equal duration.

After some time, the circular model of sundial was used by the clockmakers to build their new technology. The first mechanical clock was invented in Europe for the medieval clock towers, and it was a 24 hour device, unlike the traditional methods.

By the 14th century, these 24 hour devices were replaced by 12 hour faces, to save space and enhance readability for pocket watch carriers. Moving forward, clockmakers started embracing a.m and p.m, even though these terms didn’t really relate to astronomical bodies.

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Source: Cuemath

However, by the late 19th century, a lot of countries and the military bodies started discussing time based on the 24 hour clock. Except Australia, Canada, and the Philippines, most of the countries used a 24-hour clock. But old habits die hard, most of the people, even from these countries are still likely to use the a.m and p.m abbreviations. What exactly A.M and P.M stands for?

Full Form and AM and PM

A.M - Ante Meridiem

P.M - Post-Meridiem

What does A.M and P.M stand for? 

AM and PM are derived from Latin language and are used as abbreviations for the terms Ante Meridiem and Post Meridiem. AM is used to determine the time from midnight to 11:59 noon and PM is used to indicate the time from 12 noon to 11:59 midnight.

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Each day has 24 hours which are further classified into hours, minutes, and seconds. For example, 9:35 means 9 hours and 35 minutes, this time can be displayed in two ways, through the 24 hour clock and the other is the a.m and p.m

Interesting Fact: The 24 hour clock is also called as the ‘military time’ in the U.S and Canada since the militaries in these countries use it, even though common people use the 12 hour class. 

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