[LEAPSECS] [time-nuts] Leap Quirks

[M. Warner Losh]

In message: <496214F4.1090304 at rubidium.dyndns.org>
            Magnus Danielson <magnus at rubidium.dyndns.org> writes:

: Rob,

: 

: Rob Seaman skrev:

: > Magnus Danielson wrote:

: > 

: >> time_t = d*86400 + h*3600 + m*60 + s

: > 

: > Just thought I'd note an alternate interpretation.  In NOAO's widely 

: > distributed image processing system (IRAF) a sexagesimal number is a 

: > double precision floating point number, not an integer:

: > 

: >     12:34:56 = 12 + 34/60 + 56.0/3600

: > 

: > Wherever a float can appear, a sexagesimal string is permitted.  Our 

: > version of printf includes %h and %H for turning a binary float back 

: > into dd:mm:ss.s or hh:mm:ss.s.

: > 

: > A particular application may need to count integer seconds (as in our 

: > own date and time library, perhaps), but the need is remarkably 

: > infrequent.  For the vast majority of cases sexagesimal numbers behave 

: > like floats.

: 

: Hate to nitpick you, but that is a different representation, not a 

: different interpretation.

: 

: The floating point number is thus in hours, is that more practical than 

: say days?


And how are leap seconds represented in this convention?

Warner