If there are 24 hours in a day, why don't our clocks read as such?

Answer 1

Possibly what you are asking is why do we split the day into two 12 hour periods (AM & PM).
Here's a site that can help with that question:

http://homepage.mac.com/pete.boardman/24hourclock/history.html

Answer 2

Many clocks do in 24-hour time. In that case, all of the PM hours are basically the hour + 12. For example, 7 PM would be 7 + 12 and would be 1900. People would say nineteen hundred hours in using it as "Military time". That's also where people would say oh-four-hundred for 4:00 AM or 0400. People aren't accustomed to reading this style of clock display readouts typically and have to think about the times so they don't prefer them. The AM/PM system works just as well and it's only in some circumstances that you really have to specify AM or PM when talking about times. Either way is not really better than the other, but it's what people are used to.

Answer 3

Some clocks do read as such!!! You can set your digital clock to 24 hour time.. actually theres lots of clocks that can be set on 24hour time

Answer 4

There are some clocks with a 24 hour face. Also, there are not actually 24 hours in a day. It is actually 23.934 hours long. That is why we need to add a day during leap year.

Answer 5

Maybe they thought it'd look too cluttered?

A lot of digital clocks can be set to read military time (which is also used a lot in Europe), so for example instead of saying 6:30 (pm) it'll say 18:30.

Answer 6

Because military and law enforcement are the only people that actually use the 24 hour time. They do sell clocks that go up to 2400 or 0000 hours (Midnight.)

Answer 7

Get yourself a 24 hour clock!

Answer 8

military time does

we use a 12 hour clock

and technically it does theres 12 am hours and 12 pm hours 12+12=24

Answer 9

Military clocks do. Just too many numbers.

Answer 10

Obviously you haven't had military duty. You can buy a military clock or watch.