If Earth makes one complete rotation on its axis every 23 hours and 56 minutes, how does day and night not being flipped on our clocks after six months? (6monthx30dayx4min/60=12hour)

Question

And why leap year happens once per 4 years only to address this?

In: 1081

Answer 1

Aside all the explanations, there are multiple ways to correct this, not just “the classic 4 leap year”.

The leap year is every 4th year, where year is divisible by 4, so after 3 years of not counting the remaining fragment of the incomplete year, they are added in a full day, 29th, in February.

However, that day fragments are not a perfect 1/4 day, they are a little more that that so with every leap year we are overcorrecting this system, therefore, every 100 years, instead of adding a leap day, we subtract a leap day.

So, if we add a leap day in every year that is divisible by 4, we subtract a leap day in every year that is divisible simultaneously by 4 and by 100 and that means that in 1700, 1800, 1900 we didn’t added a leap day.

BUT .. but taking out a day, we are overcorrecting in the opposite direction so every 400 years, we ARE adding a leap day, even if the year is divisible simultaneously by 4 and 100 and that’s why 2000 had a leap day and the rule is: we add a leap day if the year is simultaneously divisible by 4, 100 and 400.

And ofc, if you think that this is complicated, google for the leap second 🙂