Every day before 12 noon

Question

Hi,can you please correct sentence.Ampicillin 500 - Take every day before 12 noon.can I say before 12 noon?sagar dey

JohnParis · Accepted Answer

Writing time can be confusing.

Technically, 12 Noon is redundant.

Basically, you have three choices: 12 o'clock Noon, 12:00 a.m. or 12h00.

If you are writing instructions on a prescription form for a patient, write 12 o'**** Noon and make certain (via oral reinforcement) that the patient understands you that you mean that they should take the medication at mid-day.

If you are writing a label, however, use the most precise form of telling time: i.e., military time.

Write 12h00.

This can only mean at 12 .a.m.

In order of preference and precision:

1. Take one capsule of Ampicillin 500mg at 12h00.

2. Take one capsule of Ampicillin 500mg at 12:00 a.m.

3. Take one capsule of Ampicillin at 12 o'clock Noon.

Canadian45 · Answer

JohnParisWriting time can be confusing.
Technically, 12 Noon is redundant.
Basically, you have three choices: 12 o'clock Noon, 12:00 a.m. or 12h00.
The above times are not all the same.

And what do you make of the OP saying ''before 12........''?

JohnParis · Answer

The http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Maritime_Museum, Greenwich, states:

To avoid confusion, the correct designation for twelve o'clock is 12 noon or 12 midnight. Alternatively, the twenty-four-hour-clock system may be used. The abbreviation a.m. stands for ante-meridiem (before the sun has crossed the line) and p.m. for post-meridiem (after the sun has crossed the line). At 12 noon the sun is at its highest point in the sky and directly over the meridian. It is therefore neither "ante-" nor "post-".

If 12 o'clock Noon, 12:00 a.m. and 12h00 do not mean the same thing, I'll take the ampicillin.

And what do you make of the OP saying before 12..? Before 12 would either be 11h59 or 23h59. Clarity improves compliance.

Canadian45 · Answer

JohnParisThe National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, states:
To avoid confusion, the correct designation for twelve o'clock is 12 noon or 12 midnight. Alternatively, the twenty-four-hour-clock system may be used.

Yes, many people are confused, so I can see the NMM wanting to help lessen the confusion. But there needn't be confusion; one just needs to apply logic.

The abbreviation a.m. stands for ante-meridiem (before the sun has crossed the line) and p.m. for post-meridiem (after the sun has crossed the line). At 12 noon the sun is at its highest point in the sky and directly over the meridian. It is therefore neither "ante-" nor "post-".

But this contradicts your contention that 12 a.m. is 12 noon.

Anyway, exactly where the sun is at noon is irrelevant. "p.m." is the twelve-hour period that begins exactly at and includes 12 noon, and "a.m." is the twelve-hour period that begins exactly at and includes 12 midnight.

Of course one begins exactly when the other ends, and there is no time that is neither a.m. or p.m.

You not infrequently do see something like "p.m. begins immediately after 12 noon" written. What in the world is that supposed to mean, one second after, one tenth of a second after, one millionth of a second after? It's pure rubbish.

a.m. and p.m. can only begin exactly at 12 o'clock, and 12 noon is 12 p.m., the start of the twelve p.m. hours.

If 12 o'clock Noon, 12:00 a.m. and 12h00 do not mean the same thing, I'll take the ampicillin.

12 noon is 12 p.m. and I hope you are not seriously allergic to penicillin.

JohnParis · Answer

LOL

. No, I'm O.K. with ampicillin - but I still won't be taking any. Let's agree to disagree.

This seemingly universal confusion with writing time in English is precisely why I have always used the 24 hour clock (aka military time) in everything I've written. There can be no misunderstanding that 00h21 is 21 minutes after midnight and that 11h59 is one minute before Noon.

Here's a link you might find useful: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/explore/astronomy-and-time/time-facts/faqs/is-noon-12-am-or-12-pm

Canadian45 · Answer

JohnParisLOL . No, I'm O.K. with ampicillin - but I still won't be taking any. Let's agree to disagree.
This seemingly universal confusion with writing time in English is precisely why I have always used the 24 hour clock (aka military time) in everything I've written. There can be no misunderstanding that 00h21 is 21 minutes after midnight and that 11h59 is one minute before Noon.
Here's a link you might find useful: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/explore/astronomy-and-time/time-facts/faqs/is-noon-12-am-or-12-pm

Canadian45 · Answer

JohnParisLOL . No, I'm O.K. with ampicillin - but I still won't be taking any. Let's agree to disagree.
We can agree to disagree on some things, but I hope that you are not still claiming that 12 noon is 12 a.m. There is a foolproof way to know that 12 noon is 12 p.m.

Because the a.m./p.m. changes take place only at 12 noon and 12 midnight and because we know that one minute before noon is 11:59 a.m., 12 noon can only be 12 p.m.!

This seemingly universal confusion with writing time in English is precisely why I have always used the 24 hour clock (aka military time) in everything I've written. There can be no misunderstanding that 00h21 is 21 minutes after midnight and that 11h59 is one minute before Noon.

The 24-hour clock does have its merit, but the a.m./p.m. system is not going to disappear.

Canadian45 · Answer

AnonymousHi,
can you please correct sentence.
Ampicillin 500 - Take every day before 12 noon.
can I say before 12 noon?

sagar dey

We became sidetracked with our a.m.-p.m. discussion and mostly ignored your question.

I don't think "before 12 noon" is good because "before" is too vague. What does it mean - a few minutes before noon?, two hours before noon?, just before lunch?, any time between when you wake up and 12 noon? You need to indicate a more specific time or perhaps a certain time related to eating lunch.

Canadian45 · Answer

AnonymousHi,
can you please correct sentence.
Ampicillin 500 - Take every day before 12 noon.
can I say before 12 noon?

sagar dey

We became sidetracked with our a.m.-p.m. discussion and mostly ignored your question.

I don't think "before 12 noon" is good because "before" is too vague. What does it mean - a few minutes before noon?, two hours before noon?, just before lunch?, any time between when you wake up and 12 noon? You need to indicate a more specific time or perhaps a certain time related to eating lunch.

V S Rao · Answer

Hi Sagar,

AnonymousAmpicillin 500 - Take every day before 12 noon.
can I say before 12 noon?

Yes, you can write. However, you can also write it in medical terminology. Here is the way to write it.

ampicillin 500 mg q.a.m.

q.a.m. = quaque die ante meridiem(Latin) = every day before noon ( English )

Regards,

Sri

Every day before 12 noon

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