Quizzes & Puzzles3 mins ago
Leap years
Is 2006 a leap year?
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No best answer has yet been selected by ducey99. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.If a year (as defined by the earth's movement) lasts 365 and a quarter days (I'm sure I've read this somewhere) then I'm not sure I understand why 1900 isn't a leap year.
I mean, I know that it wasn't as I've read it but I don't get the logic behind it. Wouldn't that mean that 1896 was and 1904 was and that there was an 8 year gap?
Anyone?
I mean, I know that it wasn't as I've read it but I don't get the logic behind it. Wouldn't that mean that 1896 was and 1904 was and that there was an 8 year gap?
Anyone?
As pointed out by mibn2cweus the year is slightly less that 356 and a quarter so by having an extra day every leap year we are slightly over correcting. This is rectified by not having a leap year on centuries but this too over corrected the other way so by having them on centuries that are divisible by 400 the current system is effective at preventing season drag/appreciation. The excelllent book "The Calendar" by David Ewing Duncun charts the history of this process.
. . . . .1596, 1600, 1604, 1608, 1612, 1616, 1620, 1624, 1628, 1632, 1636, 1640, 1644, 1648, 1652, 1656, 1660, 1664, 1668, 1672, 1676, 1680, 1684, 1688, 1692, 1696, 1704, 1708, 1712, 1716, 1720, 1724, 1728, 1732, 1736, 1740, 1744, 1748, 1752, 1756, 1760, 1764, 1768, 1772, 1776, 1780, 1784, 1788, 1792, 1796, 1804, 1808, 1812, 1816, 1820, 1824, 1828, 1832, 1836, 1840, 1844, 1848, 1852, 1856, 1860, 1864, 1868, 1872, 1876, 1880, 1884, 1888, 1892, 1896, 1904, 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036, 2040, 2044, 2048, 2052, 2056, 2060, 2064, 2068, 2072, 2076, 2080, 2084, 2088, 2092, 2096, 2104, 2108, 2112, 2116, 2120, 2124, 2128, 2132, 2136, 2140, 2144, 2148, 2152, 2156, 2160, 2164, 2168, 2172, 2176, 2180, 2184, 2188, 2192, 2196, 2204, 2208, 2212, 2216, 2220, 2224, 2228, 2232, 2236, 2240, 2244, 2248, 2252, 2256, 2260, 2264, 2268, 2272, 2276, 2280, 2284, 2288, 2292, 2296, 2304, 2308, 2312, 2316, 2320, 2324, 2328, 2332, 2336, 2340, 2344, 2348, 2352, 2356, 2360, 2364, 2368, 2372, 2376, 2380, 2384, 2388, 2392, 2396, 2400, 2404, 2406, 2408, 2412, 2426,2420, . . . Any more questions?
yeah Loosehead is got it spot on, 'year' as defined by a complete orbit of the sun is actually slightly less than 365 and 1/4 days and so to recorrect our calender to co-inside with the earths (so that everything doesn go out of sync) we made every century not a leap year unless iits divisable by 400.