Someone will know the answer to this question; my money would be on Julian Mayes!



Given that the media has begun celebrating the decade 2010-2019, with various awards for best band, artist, book, film etc, I was wondering why those of us in the climatological world stick with 2011-2020, or for 30-year records, 1991-2020?



I'm sure it is down to precedence dating back into the early days of record keeping, but is there any other reason for this, I wonder?



best wishes



Steve Jackson

Bablake, Coventry

In message ,
Steve Jackson writes
Given that the media has begun celebrating the decade 2010-2019, with
various awards for best band, artist, book, film etc, I was wondering
why those of us in the climatological world stick with 2011-2020, or
for 30-year records, 1991-2020?



I'm sure it is down to precedence dating back into the early days of
record keeping, but is there any other reason for this, I wonder?

Because, strictly speaking, it's correct. Because there was no year
zero, the first decade AD was years 1-10, the next was 11-20 and so on.
--
John Hall
"If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come
sit next to me."
Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980)

On Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 5:54:28 PM UTC, Steve Jackson wrote:
Someone will know the answer to this question; my money would be on Julian Mayes!

Be careful where you put your money, Steve!

When in doubt I'm afraid I look at Wikipedia and the entry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decade
is 'disputed'.

It seems to come down to the idea of the ordinal decade having years starting with a 1 as there was no year 0. So, in climatology we are being consistent with this principle - maybe when 30-year averages started in the late C19th people adhered to this rule? Mind you, I've just picked up British Rainfall for 1896 at random and see averages there for 1880-1889. They maybe were just more 'correct' when starting the 1881-1915 averages, though not when ending it!

As you say, precedence is the governing issue nowadays otherwise we'd be double-counting a zero-year if we changed. The COL book of averages comes to mind with its decadal averages.

At the Millennium some people said we were celebrating it a year early - but I suppose most of us go with the flow and consider that a new decade starts on 1/1/20. But yes, let's hope everyone keeps with the 1 rule in climatology for consistency.

Julian

Molesey, Surrey.

On Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 5:54:28 PM UTC, Steve Jackson wrote:

Given that the media has begun celebrating the decade 2010-2019, with various awards for best band, artist, book, film etc, I was wondering why those of us in the climatological world stick with 2011-2020, or for 30-year records, 1991-2020?


Thanks to John and Julian for your replies; hadn't thought about there not being a year 0!

Steve

On Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 7:41:38 PM UTC, Steve Jackson wrote:
On Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 5:54:28 PM UTC, Steve Jackson wrote:

Given that the media has begun celebrating the decade 2010-2019, with various awards for best band, artist, book, film etc, I was wondering why those of us in the climatological world stick with 2011-2020, or for 30-year records, 1991-2020?


Thanks to John and Julian for your replies; hadn't thought about there not being a year 0!

Steve

What do you mean there was no year 0? Time is a continuum.
Providing we all sing from the same songsheet, everything will be OK.

Len
Wembury

On 12/12/2019 22:57, wrote:
On Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 7:41:38 PM UTC, Steve Jackson
wrote:
On Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 5:54:28 PM UTC, Steve Jackson
wrote:

Given that the media has begun celebrating the decade 2010-2019,
with various awards for best band, artist, book, film etc, I was
wondering why those of us in the climatological world stick with
2011-2020, or for 30-year records, 1991-2020?


Thanks to John and Julian for your replies; hadn't thought about
there not being a year 0!

Steve

What do you mean there was no year 0? Time is a continuum. Providing
we all sing from the same songsheet, everything will be OK.

Len Wembury


This calendar is based on the year 1AD being the year that Jesus was
believed to have been both conceived and born, so December 25th this
year would supposedly mark his 2018th birthday.

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks. Web-site: http://www.scarlet-jade.com/
“Understanding is a three-edged sword. Your side, my side, and the
truth.� [Ambassador Kosh]
Posted via Mozilla Thunderbird on openSUSE Tumbleweed.

On Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 5:54:28 PM UTC, Steve Jackson wrote:
Someone will know the answer to this question; my money would be on Julian Mayes!



Given that the media has begun celebrating the decade 2010-2019, with various awards for best band, artist, book, film etc, I was wondering why those of us in the climatological world stick with 2011-2020, or for 30-year records, 1991-2020?



I'm sure it is down to precedence dating back into the early days of record keeping, but is there any other reason for this, I wonder?



best wishes



Steve Jackson

Bablake, Coventry

From Peter Lea-Cox, Umborne

I have heard it said that Christ was born around 4 BC; irony granted in such a statement. This was the year when there was supposed to have been a conjunction of Jupiter and Venus, hence the bright star. Whether this could have possibly lasted for the two years that it took the Wise Men to travel to Bethlehem is open to debate.

In message ,
writes
From Peter Lea-Cox, Umborne

I have heard it said that Christ was born around 4 BC; irony granted in
such a statement. This was the year when there was supposed to have
been a conjunction of Jupiter and Venus, hence the bright star. Whether
this could have possibly lasted for the two years that it took the Wise
Men to travel to Bethlehem is open to debate.

Two years? That seems like a very long time. Admittedly we don't
actually know where they supposedly came from, but if it was somewhere
like modern-day Iraq I'd have thought that 3-6 months would have been
more like it.
--
John Hall
"If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come
sit next to me."
Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980)