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Using numbers from 1 to 12, followed by am or pm, the 12-hour clock system identifies all 24 hours of the day. The abbreviations am and pm derive from Latin: The second period, marked pm, covers the 12 hours from noon to midnight. The first 12-hour period is designated as am.
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The 12-hour system divides the 24 hours of a day into two periods lasting 12 hours each.
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