Even contraceptives are date-coded.
Reading the date code on any product can be very important. All foods, for example, will have a date code on them to determine the exact time when they become inedible or unusable. Fail to notice these codes and you might be eating something that is potentially harmful or dangerous. Other products such as cosmetics, contraceptives and medicines will also be printed with a date code to ensure that you're aware of its reliability and safety. Date codes come in various formats; the most widely used are the Gregorian, Julian and can calendars.
Instructions
1. Read a Gregorian date code in its standard day, month and year format. Although the Gregorian calendar is commonly written as 26 January 2008, for example, it can also be printed in slightly different ways --- either as numbers and words or just as numbers.
A product, for example, that bears a 01JAN10 date label should read as the date 01 January 2010 or Jan. 1, 2010. Similarly, a product that is printed with a date such as 07/08/15 has simply numbered the month; in this case it should read as the date 07 August 2015 or Aug. 1, 2015.
2. Read a Julian calendar date code by counting from Jan. 1 and then adding the number of days in the year. Julian product date codes are printed as a five-figure number; the first three represent the day of the year, while the last two digits represent the year itself.
For example, a date code that reads 08012 represents 21 March 2012; this is because the 080 stands for the 80th day in the year and the 12 represents 2012. Another example would be 31222, which translates as 08 November 2022 or Nov. 8, 2022. See the Resources section for a reference PDF of the entire Julian calendar.
3. Read a can code by converting the letters and numbers into their respective values. Can codes are usually printed on the top or bottom of the can and follow a simple conversion formula. The first number will be the month. January is the number 1 and each month is the next number through to 9 (September); October is O, November is N and December is D. If letters are used instead, January is written as A and each month follows the alphabet to September, written as L. This will be followed by the month date and then the final number will be the year. Each year is codified by a single number that represents the last number of the year, e.g. 2015 is a 5 and 2019 is a 9.
For example, a can date code of N206 would decode as 20 November 2016 or Nov. 20, 2016.
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