Python: Find out what the epoch is on a given platform

Last update on April 22 2025 12:47:15 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

55. Epoch Info and Conversion

The epoch is the point where time starts, and is platform dependent. For Unix, the epoch is January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 (UTC). Write a Python program to find out what the epoch is on a given platform. Convert a given time in seconds since the epoch.

Sample Solution:

Python Code:

# Import the time module
import time

# Print a message indicating the epoch on a given platform
print("\nEpoch on a given platform:")
# Print the time structure representing the epoch (January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC)
print(time.gmtime(0))

# Print a message indicating time in seconds since the epoch
print("\nTime in seconds since the epoch:")
# Print the time structure representing 36000 seconds after the epoch
print(time.gmtime(36000))

Output:

Epoch on a given platform:
time.struct_time(tm_year=1970, tm_mon=1, tm_mday=1, tm_hour=0, tm_min=0, tm_sec=0, tm_wday=3, tm_yday=1, tm_isdst=0)

Time in seconds since the epoch:
time.struct_time(tm_year=1970, tm_mon=1, tm_mday=1, tm_hour=10, tm_min=0, tm_sec=0, tm_wday=3, tm_yday=1, tm_isdst=0)

Explanation:

In the exercise above,

The code imports the "time" module
It prints a message indicating the epoch on a given platform.
It uses the "time.gmtime()" function to convert the time in seconds since the epoch to a time structure representing UTC time.

In the first "print" statement, "time.gmtime(0)" represents the time structure for the epoch, i.e., January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC.

It prints a message indicating the time in seconds since the epoch.
It again uses the "time.gmtime()" function to convert the time in seconds (36000 seconds) since the epoch to a time structure representing UTC time.

In the second "print" statement, "time.gmtime(36000)" represents the time structure for 36000 seconds after the epoch.

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

Write a Python program to display the Unix epoch start time and then convert a given number of seconds since the epoch to a readable date.
Write a Python script to compute the current time in seconds since the epoch and then convert it back to a local datetime.
Write a Python function to take an input of seconds since the epoch, convert it to a datetime object, and then format the result as a string.
Write a Python program to find the epoch time on your system and then calculate the elapsed time from the epoch to a given date.

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