6 ms·

Vaguely related: I don't think people are being taught how to read analog clock faces nearly as much anymore, and apparently phrases like "quarter past ten" are

Vaguely related: I don't think people are being taught how to read analog clock faces nearly as much anymore, and apparently phrases like "quarter past ten" are becoming, so to speak, anachronisms.

marpstar 2y ago
a "quarter" means 1/4th -- it's a "quarter" turn of rotation on a physical clock, but 60/4 is always 15. or were you making the distinction between "quarter past" and "quarter after", because I'd agree that the former is a lot less common.
- roywiggins 2y ago
  I'm not sure, but either way, "it's a quarter past 6" has gotten me blank stares.
  - 1718627440 2y ago
    In Germany, that would be quarter 7, which means either the quarter in the 7th hour or the 7th time that a quarter has passed since the hour, which is of course that same. (Unless you are in a part, that got conquered by the US after 2WW, which now uses "English time".)
dmd 2y ago
Public schools here in suburban Boston MA still teach analog first.
- ta1243 2y ago
  Don't kids know how to tell the time before they go to school?
  - dmd 2y ago
    Mine did. Most don't.
- aidenn0 2y ago
  So do the public schools here, and we have 3 analog clocks in my house, but 3/4 of my children cannot read an analog clock, and 2/4 of them do not understand me when I say "quarter past" or "quarter to" no matter how many times I explain it.
doubled112 2y ago
Also vaguely related, I've come to realize some people find metric measurements easier than feet and inches. I find the fractions simpler. Need a half of that half? Just double the denominator. My wife would seemingly rather keep counting .1 centimeters. The same applies with clocks. It's easier for me to rough out how long I have if I just chop the face into fractions vs mental arithmetic, as brutal as that sounds. What do you mean this guy can't divide 30 in half?
- BlueTemplar 2y ago
  Romans were using both : "metric/decimal" for numbers, but "imperial/dozenal" for fractions : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_abacus https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_abacus (Base 12x5=60 was of course used by their Babylonian predecessors.)
- dredmorbius 2y ago
  If only we were a species with six fingers per hand.
lupire 2y ago
Technology Connections did it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NeopkvAP-ag https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NeopkvAP-ag Bonus on analog vs digital mechanism in flip clocks: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZArBfxaPzD8 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZArBfxaPzD8
Suppafly 2y ago
The only one that I know of as being an anachronism is saying "quarter of" or similar. At one point people decided that 'of' meant 'to' and after a while we forgot that because it was stupid. People still say quarter past though.
- aidenn0 2y ago
  My teenage daughter needs me to explain it to her every time I say either "quarter past" or "quarter to"
  - Suppafly 2y ago
    past and to are pretty self explanatory if you know English at all.
dboreham 2y ago
This is regional. US never used quarters afaik.
- scrozier 2y ago
  Oh yes, I grew saying "quarter past four." Probably don't anymore, but it was definitely in the vernacular in the US in years past.
- Gormo 2y ago
  What do you mean? People in the US routinely use "quarter after" and "quarter to" when telling time.
- JohnBooty 2y ago
  I've only ever lived in NE USA, but I have traveled, and I definitely don't think it's regional. Generational though, sure.
- dredmorbius 2y ago
  No, its absolutely widespread that they do. You can confirm this by searching "quarter past" at any significant US website, e.g., the NY Times: <https://duckduckgo.com/?q=site%3Anytimes.com+%22quarter+past https://duckduckgo.com/?q=site%3Anytimes.com+%22quarter+past> "Quarter of" or "quarter to" are less frequent, but can be found and heard.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
Gormo 2y ago
But 15 minutes is a quarter of an hour regardless of whether you are using an analog or a digital clock to read the time.
- dredmorbius 2y ago
  The spatial representation on an analogue clockface is far more evident. Each 15 minute interval sweeps out a quarter of the face with the minute hand.
  - Gormo 2y ago
    I don't thing a spatial representation is any more necessary here than it is for referring to 25 cents as a quarter of a dollar.

Vaguely related: I don't think people are being taught how to read analog clock faces nearly as much anymore, and apparently phrases like "quarter past ten" are becoming, so to speak, anachronisms.

marpstar 2y ago

a "quarter" means 1/4th -- it's a "quarter" turn of rotation on a physical clock, but 60/4 is always 15. or were you making the distinction between "quarter past" and "quarter after", because I'd agree that the former is a lot less common.

roywiggins 2y ago
I'm not sure, but either way, "it's a quarter past 6" has gotten me blank stares.
- 1718627440 2y ago
  In Germany, that would be quarter 7, which means either the quarter in the 7th hour or the 7th time that a quarter has passed since the hour, which is of course that same. (Unless you are in a part, that got conquered by the US after 2WW, which now uses "English time".)

dmd 2y ago

Public schools here in suburban Boston MA still teach analog first.

ta1243 2y ago
Don't kids know how to tell the time before they go to school?
- dmd 2y ago
  Mine did. Most don't.
aidenn0 2y ago
So do the public schools here, and we have 3 analog clocks in my house, but 3/4 of my children cannot read an analog clock, and 2/4 of them do not understand me when I say "quarter past" or "quarter to" no matter how many times I explain it.

doubled112 2y ago

Also vaguely related, I've come to realize some people find metric measurements easier than feet and inches. I find the fractions simpler. Need a half of that half? Just double the denominator. My wife would seemingly rather keep counting .1 centimeters. The same applies with clocks. It's easier for me to rough out how long I have if I just chop the face into fractions vs mental arithmetic, as brutal as that sounds. What do you mean this guy can't divide 30 in half?

BlueTemplar 2y ago
Romans were using both : "metric/decimal" for numbers, but "imperial/dozenal" for fractions : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_abacus https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_abacus (Base 12x5=60 was of course used by their Babylonian predecessors.)
dredmorbius 2y ago
If only we were a species with six fingers per hand.

lupire 2y ago

Technology Connections did it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NeopkvAP-ag https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NeopkvAP-ag Bonus on analog vs digital mechanism in flip clocks: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZArBfxaPzD8 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZArBfxaPzD8

Suppafly 2y ago

The only one that I know of as being an anachronism is saying "quarter of" or similar. At one point people decided that 'of' meant 'to' and after a while we forgot that because it was stupid. People still say quarter past though.

aidenn0 2y ago
My teenage daughter needs me to explain it to her every time I say either "quarter past" or "quarter to"
- Suppafly 2y ago
  past and to are pretty self explanatory if you know English at all.

dboreham 2y ago

This is regional. US never used quarters afaik.

scrozier 2y ago
Oh yes, I grew saying "quarter past four." Probably don't anymore, but it was definitely in the vernacular in the US in years past.
Gormo 2y ago
What do you mean? People in the US routinely use "quarter after" and "quarter to" when telling time.
JohnBooty 2y ago
I've only ever lived in NE USA, but I have traveled, and I definitely don't think it's regional. Generational though, sure.
dredmorbius 2y ago
No, its absolutely widespread that they do. You can confirm this by searching "quarter past" at any significant US website, e.g., the NY Times: <https://duckduckgo.com/?q=site%3Anytimes.com+%22quarter+past https://duckduckgo.com/?q=site%3Anytimes.com+%22quarter+past> "Quarter of" or "quarter to" are less frequent, but can be found and heard.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

Gormo 2y ago

But 15 minutes is a quarter of an hour regardless of whether you are using an analog or a digital clock to read the time.

dredmorbius 2y ago
The spatial representation on an analogue clockface is far more evident. Each 15 minute interval sweeps out a quarter of the face with the minute hand.
- Gormo 2y ago
  I don't thing a spatial representation is any more necessary here than it is for referring to 25 cents as a quarter of a dollar.