Introduction / Context:
This question asks for the weekday corresponding to a specific historical date, 16 August 1947. The date is close to India's Independence Day (15 August 1947) and often used in calendar and general knowledge questions. To solve it, we can either rely on a known reference date or use a systematic day of week calculation technique such as odd days or a standard congruence formula.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Date of interest: 16 August 1947.
- We assume the Gregorian calendar.
- We want to determine the day of the week on this date.
- Many preparation sources list 15 August 1947 as a Friday, which is helpful as a reference.
Concept / Approach:
If we know that 15 August 1947 was a Friday, then one very simple approach is to move forward by one day to reach 16 August 1947. More generally, the day of the week can be computed via counting odd days from a known base date like 1 January 1900 or using a formula. For exam purposes, recalling that Independence Day 1947 fell on a Friday is often enough to answer questions about nearby dates.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Use the known fact: 15 August 1947 was a Friday.
The next day after 15 August is 16 August.
Weekdays move one step forward each day in a fixed 7 day cycle.
Therefore, if 15 August was Friday, then 16 August must be Saturday.
No month boundary or leap day lies between these two dates, so there is no special complication.
Verification / Alternative check:
We can also confirm this using an odd days computation from a known base date.
When calculated carefully, the method confirms that 16 August 1947 falls on a Saturday in the Gregorian calendar.
Multiple historical calendar sources support this result.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (Sunday): Would place 15 August on a Saturday, contradicting the known reference.
Option B (Monday): Two days after Saturday, which does not fit the timeline.
Option D (Thursday): Would place 15 August on a Wednesday, inconsistent with standard references.
Option C (Saturday): Correct, as it is the day after Friday for the date in question.
Common Pitfalls:
Confusing 15 August 1947 with some other year's Independence Day weekday can lead to an off by one error.
Trying to recompute the weekday without a systematic method may produce mistakes in counting leap years and month lengths.
Mixing up the order of weekdays, for example placing Saturday before Friday, can also cause errors.
Final Answer:
16 August 1947 fell on a Saturday.
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