Comments on: Calendars and Leap Years http://blogs.mathworks.com/loren/2007/01/26/calendars-and-leap-years/ Loren Shure works on design of the MATLAB language at MathWorks. She writes here about once a week on MATLAB programming and related topics. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:24:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Leandro Navarro Pablo http://blogs.mathworks.com/loren/2007/01/26/calendars-and-leap-years/#comment-28068 Leandro Navarro Pablo Mon, 31 Mar 2008 06:48:48 +0000 http://blogs.mathworks.com/loren/?p=74#comment-28068 Thanks a lot Ned! That answers most of my questions. Thanks again for your quick answer. Leandro Thanks a lot Ned!

That answers most of my questions. Thanks again for your quick answer.

Leandro

]]> By: Ned Gulley http://blogs.mathworks.com/loren/2007/01/26/calendars-and-leap-years/#comment-27880 Ned Gulley Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:38:00 +0000 http://blogs.mathworks.com/loren/?p=74#comment-27880 Leandro: At the level of precision that you're talking about, the only way to calculate the length of a tropical year is to measure it. That is to say, we're unable to predict EXACTLY how long a year (or a day) is going to take until after it's actually happened. Having said that, there is some statistical curve-fitting you can do based on recent trends. More information on this topic is available at the US Naval Observatory site here (http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/leapsec.html), where we read: "Other factors also affect the Earth, some in unpredictable ways, so that it is necessary to monitor the Earth's rotation continuously." Leandro:

At the level of precision that you’re talking about, the only way to calculate the length of a tropical year is to measure it. That is to say, we’re unable to predict EXACTLY how long a year (or a day) is going to take until after it’s actually happened. Having said that, there is some statistical curve-fitting you can do based on recent trends.

More information on this topic is available at the US Naval Observatory site here (http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/leapsec.html), where we read: “Other factors also affect the Earth, some in unpredictable ways, so that it is necessary to monitor the Earth’s rotation continuously.”

]]> By: Leandro Navarro Pablo http://blogs.mathworks.com/loren/2007/01/26/calendars-and-leap-years/#comment-27872 Leandro Navarro Pablo Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:38:32 +0000 http://blogs.mathworks.com/loren/?p=74#comment-27872 Dear Loren, I have gone through the internet trying to get some info on the exact duration of the tropical year (what you call seasonal year). I have found diverse references, which include the same duration as yours, but for the year 1900. These references mention that the tropical year in the year 2000 lasted 365.24218967 days. Is there an algorithm for calculating the decrease in number of days implicit in both computations? Could this be applied to your programs? By the way, your programs are great Dear Loren,

I have gone through the internet trying to get some info on the exact duration of the tropical year (what you call seasonal year). I have found diverse references, which include the same duration as yours, but for the year 1900. These references mention that the tropical year in the year 2000 lasted 365.24218967 days. Is there an algorithm for calculating the decrease in number of days implicit in both computations? Could this be applied to your programs?

By the way, your programs are great

]]> By: Joseph http://blogs.mathworks.com/loren/2007/01/26/calendars-and-leap-years/#comment-19472 Joseph Mon, 22 Oct 2007 21:51:17 +0000 http://blogs.mathworks.com/loren/?p=74#comment-19472 I was thinking the same thing. I'd love to see how the Mayan calendar compares to our modern one. I was thinking the same thing. I’d love to see how the Mayan calendar compares to our modern one.

]]> By: Demetrios Kyriakisd http://blogs.mathworks.com/loren/2007/01/26/calendars-and-leap-years/#comment-16044 Demetrios Kyriakisd Sun, 04 Feb 2007 14:01:57 +0000 http://blogs.mathworks.com/loren/?p=74#comment-16044 What about the Mayan calendar? AFAIK it's using in addition the motion of planet Venus and it's very precise(for their technical level). I think it would be a nice update to this article to include it. What about the Mayan calendar? AFAIK it’s using in addition the motion of planet Venus and it’s very precise(for their technical level). I think it would be a nice update to this article to include it.

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