Why is the millennium called Y2k?

Answer 1

Y2K

That problem and name scared many people for several years. It had to do with the design of early computer software.
The term means "Year 2000."

The problem had to do with the fact that computers add, subtract, multiply, divide, and do higher math using binary digits. Binary digits are 0's and 1's. Writing a large number takes up many spaces in columns when it is written in binary notation.

The number 256, is written in base 10, where the largest number in any single column is "9", and the smallest number in any column is "0". So the possible numbers string in base 10 is "0 thru 9."

In binary notation, or base 2, the largest number that can be written in any column is "1", and the smallest number that can be written in any column is "0." And, if you are following along, the list of possible numbers in base 2 is "0 thru 1."
Computers use binary calculations because memory transistors or cores were set to either "On" or "Off" conditions when writing into them for digit storage.

Now, back to that 256 number...
In binary, or base 2, that number would be
00000001
Each column represents a power of 2
2,4,8,16,32,64,128,256.
and, into each column you may write a "0" or a "1" to indicate that you have it, or you don't.
You add up the values of each column to get the total value of the written number.

In expressing the year 1999, a certain number of columns were used. That number of columns was arbitrarily set as a fixed limit by early software developers in the 60's and 70's to save space in computer memories. To write the year 2000 required one more column in everyone's software which was not provided. So no one knew what would happen to all the software when someone / everyone tried to input dates on checks like January 1, 2000.

Answer 2

the millenium is called the 21st century and has nothing to do with Y2K

Y2K or year 2000 was a synonyme regarding a specific malfunction of computer systems mankind was afraid due to sloppy programming of date/time variables.
this Y2K term became very oversressed in these times, and we still talk about the Y2K phenomena if it comes to older computer-systems.

but the millenium is the time started with year 2001 and is in fact the 21st century

Answer 3

K = 1,000
therefore year 2000 = Y2K

Answer 4

Let me put the record straight!

Y2K was used as the term for the year 2000 when all technology was supposedly doomed to failure.

January 1st of that day ushered in the new millenium - a period of one thousand years, not just one day or one year, but a thousand of them (years).

When will people cease to be ignorant of the fact and stop using the word millenium as some new buzz word, instead accepting it for what it means.

Answer 5

Y is for year
2 is just a two
And k is the way you denote a thousand
hence year two thousand= y2k

Answer 6

the millennium called y2k because most computer can't read the time change are the new century

Answer 7

Year 2000, the next millennium will, I guess, be called Y3k

Answer 8

K in the metric system means kilo or 1000
Y is year
2 X 1000 = 2000
so year 2000 which is often referred to as the new millennium

of course thats not true, the new millenium started on 2001. but why spoil the fun...

Answer 9

Hi,

You first need to understand that not every millenium wud be Y2K.

Year 2000 was a millenium year.
And it was written as Y2K where :-
----------> Y ----------> Year
-----------> 2 -----------> 2
------------> K -----------> Kilo (that is = 1000)

I hope that's a satisfying answer....

Thanks,
Dhruv

Answer 10

Y2K
Y Year
2 Two
K Thousand