Re: Year 2000 Issue

["Otto G. Raabe" <ograabe@ucdavis.edu>]

June 7, 1997

The leap year rules are somewhat complicated. Years that are evenly
divisible by 4 are normally leap years unless they are also evenly divisible
by 100, in which case they are not leap years unless they are also evenly
divisible by 400. This is because the time required for the earth to revolve
around the sun is slightly less than 365.24 days. Although 1900 was not a
leap year, the last year of the 20th century, the year 2000, will be a leap
year. There will be a February 29,2000. 

Otto Raabe

Contrast these prior messages:

At 10:21 AM 6/7/97 -0500, Les Fraley wrote:
>There is no 29 Feb in 2000.  Leap year, which assumes there are 365.25 d/y
>but there are really closer to 365.24 d/y, is skipped every 100 y to
>(partially) make up the difference.  Incidentally, one second will be
>added to 30 June 97 to account for a small accumulation of time error.
>Les Fraley
>les@lamar.colostate.edu>
>
>On Thu, 5 Jun 1997, Don Haes wrote:
> 
>> What's "illegal" about Feb 29?
>> 
		*****************************************************
		Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
		Institute of Toxicology & Environmental Health (ITEH)
		     (Street address: Old Davis Road)
		University of California, Davis, CA 95616
		Phone: 916-752-7754     FAX: 916-758-6140
		E-Mail: ograabe@ucdavis.edu
		******************************************************