Understanding AM and PM
Standard time splits the day into two halves: AM (Latin ante meridiem, before noon) runs from midnight until just before 12 noon. PM (post meridiem, after noon) runs from 12 noon until just before midnight.
The two tricky cases: midnight is 12:00 AM (not PM) and noon is 12:00 PM (not AM). Military time avoids this entirely — 0000 and 1200 are unambiguous.