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  1. OMG Issue

DTV11 — incorrect formula for Gregorian year length

  • Key: DTV11-89
  • Legacy Issue Number: 19281
  • Status: closed  
  • Source: yahoo.com ( Michael Deckers)
  • Summary:

    REFERENCXE:
    section 11.7, 1st Definition on p 141:
    " In mathematical form, the definition
    above is:
    sd = 685 263 + (365 * y)
    + (y/4) - ((y/100)*2)
    + ((y/400) * 2)
    where:
    sd is the index of the starting day
    y is the index of a Gregorian
    year ­ 1601
    y >= zero
    / is integer division "

    PROBLEM:
    The formula is incorrect. For instance,
    for years 1700 and 1701 the formula gives
    sd(1700) = 685 263 + (365*99)
    + (99/4) - ((99/100)*2)
    + ((99/400)*2)
    = 685 263 + 365*99 + 24
    = 721 422
    sd(1701) = 685 263 + (365·100)
    + (100/4) - ((100/100)·2)
    + ((100/400)·2)
    = 685 263 + 365*100 + 25 - 2
    = 721 786
    implying that the year 1700 had only
    364 d, which is obviously incorrect.
    The formula gives the wrong year
    length of 364 d for all Gregorian
    years Y wher Y mod 400 is one
    of 100, 200, 300.

    PROPOSED CORRECTION:
    Omit the incorrect factor 2 twice, and
    correct the corresponding note trying
    to justify that factor. Many sources
    give the correct formula, valid for all
    integral year numbers 1601 + y:

    sd(1601 + y)
    = sd(1601) + (365 * y)
    + floor(y/4) - floor(y/100)
    + floor(y/400)
    where:
    y is the index of the Gregorian year
    with number (1601 + y)
    sd(1601 + y) is the index of the
    first day of the Gregorian
    year (1601 + y)
    floor is the largest integer
    that is <= x

  • Reported: DTV 1.0 — Fri, 7 Mar 2014 05:00 GMT
  • Disposition: Resolved — DTV 1.1
  • Disposition Summary:

    The formula was incorrectly represented. It will be corrected as suggested. The changes below incorporate several changes from Issue 19280 that correct errors resulting from faulty calculation of year lengths and incorrect base values. Two Examples of coordinate computations are revised to use the corrected formula.
    The formula for the index origin of the Gregorian months scale is also incorrectly written.

  • Updated: Fri, 6 Mar 2015 20:58 GMT