Doomsday Rule - 400-year Cycle of Doomsdays

400-year Cycle of Doomsdays

Since in the Gregorian calendar there are 146097 days, or exactly 20871 seven-day weeks, in 400 years, the anchor day repeats every four centuries. For example, the anchor day of 1700–1799 is the same as the anchor day of 2100–2199, i.e. Sunday.

The full 400-year cycle of Doomsdays is given in the following table. The centuries are for the Gregorian and proleptic Gregorian calendar, unless marked with a J for Julian (for the latter not all centuries are shown, for the missing ones it is easy to interpolate). The Gregorian leap years are highlighted.

-200J
500J
1200J
1900J

-400
00
400
800
1200
1600
2000
-00J
700J
1400J
2100J

-300
100
500
900
1300
1700
2100
200J
900J
1600J
2300J

-200
200
600
1000
1400
1800
2200
400J
1100J
1800J
2500J

-100
300
700
1100
1500
1900
2300
00 Tu Su Fr We
01 29 57 85 We Mo Sa Th
02 30 58 86 Th Tu Su Fr
03 31 59 87 Fr We Mo Sa
04 32 60 88 Su Fr We Mo
05 33 61 89 Mo Sa Th Tu
06 34 62 90 Tu Su Fr We
07 35 63 91 We Mo Sa Th
08 36 64 92 Fr We Mo Sa
09 37 65 93 Sa Th Tu Su
10 38 66 94 Su Fr We Mo
11 39 67 95 Mo Sa Th Tu
12 40 68 96 We Mo Sa Th
13 41 69 97 Th Tu Su Fr
14 42 70 98 Fr We Mo Sa
15 43 71 99 Sa Th Tu Su
16 44 72 Mo Sa Th Tu
17 45 73 Tu Su Fr We
18 46 74 We Mo Sa Th
19 47 75 Th Tu Su Fr
20 48 76 Sa Th Tu Su
21 49 77 Su Fr We Mo
22 50 78 Mo Sa Th Tu
23 51 79 Tu Su Fr We
24 52 80 Th Tu Su Fr
25 53 81 Fr We Mo Sa
26 54 82 Sa Th Tu Su
27 55 83 Su Fr We Mo
28 56 84 Tu Su Fr We
2000
2400
2100
2500
2200
2600
2300
2700

Negative years use astronomical year numbering. Year 25BC is −24, shown in the column of −100J (proleptic Julian) or −100 (proleptic Gregorian), at the row 76.

Frequency in the 400-year cycle (leap years are widened again):

  • 44 × Thursday, Saturday (non-leap years)
  • 43 × Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday (non-leap years)
  • 15 × Monday, Wednesday (leap years)
  • 14 × Friday, Saturday (leap years)
  • 13 × Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday (leap years)

Adding common and leap years:

  • 58 × Monday, Wednesday, Saturday
  • 57 × Thursday, Friday
  • 56 × Tuesday, Sunday

A leap year with Monday as Doomsday means that Sunday is one of 97 days skipped in the 497-day sequence. Thus the total number of years with Sunday as Doomsday is 71 minus the number of leap years with Monday as Doomsday, etc. Since Monday as Doomsday is skipped across 29 February 2000 and the pattern of leap days is symmetric about that leap day, the frequencies of Doomsdays per weekday (adding common and leap years) are symmetric about Monday. The frequencies of Doomsdays of leap years per weekday are symmetric about the Doomsday of 2000, Tuesday.

The frequency of a particular date being on a particular weekday can easily be derived from the above (for a date from 1 January - 28 February, relate it to the Doomsday of the previous year).

For example, 28 February is one day after Doomsday of the previous year, so it is 58 times each on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, etc. 29 February is Doomsday of a leap year, so it is 15 times each on Monday and Wednesday, etc.

Read more about this topic:  Doomsday Rule

Famous quotes containing the word cycle:

    The lifelong process of caregiving, is the ultimate link between caregivers of all ages. You and I are not just in a phase we will outgrow. This is life—birth, death, and everything in between.... The care continuum is the cycle of life turning full circle in each of our lives. And what we learn when we spoon-feed our babies will echo in our ears as we feed our parents. The point is not to be done. The point is to be ready to do again.
    Paula C. Lowe (20th century)