Why are there different times on the earth?
Laura
Filed under: Biology Big Questions, Physics Big Questions, Unanswered Big Questions
Categories
Most Popular Questions
-
Recently Viewed Questions
- How do fish sleep?
- How many volts of electricity would it take to kill someone?
- What does a frequency of 100 Hz mean?
- Why is poo brown?
- Do jelly fish have a brain?
- How many volts or amps would it take to kill an average person?
- About this web site
- How many different gases are there on earth?
- How does the human brain send messages to other parts of the body?
- How does the human body grow?
-
Recent Answers
Richard Shepherdson on Does the brain control em… Lucy Rivett on Why do people turn green when … maleeha tariq on Why do we learn science in… Tiara on How is wind created? Bill Artemik on Is the BMI figure unfair to ta… -
Recent Questions
-
Blog Stats
- 216,103 hits
Visitors since 11-3-08
Terms and Conditions
Warning
We are doing maintenance on this site, so some posts may disappear for a short time. Sorry. Normal service will soon be resumed...Pages
Archives
Meta
Useful Links
-
Answering Scientists and Engineers
- Abraham Wahnon – Aerospace Engineer
- Adam Hamilton – Cessna
- Adrian Rees – Reader in Auditory Neuroscience
- Alan Prescott – University of Dundee
- Alan Walker – University of Edinburgh
- Alan Winfield – Engineer and academic at UWE Bristol
- Alex Hill – Nuclear Installations
- Alice Hughes – Bristol University
- Andrew Beeby – University of Durham
- Andrew Chaytor – Durham University
- Andrew Halstead – Royal Horticultural Society
- Andrew Richards – Herriot Watt University
- Andrew Russell – Manchester University
- Angela Scrogham – The BA Cumbria Branch
- Angie Jefferson – Registered Dietician
- Annette Henley – Chartered Engineer
- Ashleigh Griffin – University of Edinburgh
- Becky Poole – University of Bristol
- Ben Harden – The Grantham Institute
- Bill Gelletly – University of Surrey
- Branko Bijeljic – Imperial College London
- Brendan Curran – Queen Mary University of London
- Bryson Gore – Science Communicator
- C Lloyd Jones – The Campion School
- Carston Timmermann – Manchester University
- Chi Nguyen – University of Portsmouth
- Chris Cooper – University of Essex
- Chris Dodson – Institution of Civil Engineers
- Chris Elliott – risk management of complex engineering systems
- Chris Franklin – Birmingham University
- Chris Robbins – Hands on educational resources
- Chris Rogers – Rutherford Appleton Lab
- Chris Thornton – Physics educational resources
- Christian Baars – Museum of Wales
- Christopher Syme – Queen Mary University of London
- Clare Davy – MRC
- Clare Woulds – University of Edinburgh
- Colin Stuart – Science Made Fun
- Cristiano Sabiu – University of Portsmouth
- Dan Stowell – Queen Mary University of London
- Daniel Barker – St Andrews University
- Daniel Lee – Bangor University
- Daniel Nettle – University of Newcastle and Popular Science Author
- Dave Clancy – Open university
- Dave Reay – Edinburgh University
- Dave Thompson – SciBAr organiser
- David Clarke – Engineer who works in electricity power generation industry
- David Gowing – Open University
- David Hodgson – Warwick University
- David McFarland – Popular Science Author
- David Perkins – Roots and Shoots
- David Small – Open University
- David Thorpe – Works at Google
- David Walker-Sharpe – University of Southampton
- Dinah Barry – City of London School for Girls
- Doug Daniels – Hampstead Science
- Dr Peter Naish – Open University
- Dr. Alaster McDonach – Business Development Manager at Glasgow Caladonian University
- Dr. Chris Syme – University of Glasgow
- Edd Edmondson – University of Portsmouth
- Emily Sear – The Open University
- Eram Rizvi – Queen Mary University of London
- Francisco Diego – University College London
- Frank Close – Popular Science Author
- Frank Langbein – Cardiff University
- Gavin Brown – Lancashire Education Business Partnership
- Gavin Merrifield – A biophysicist currently working in preclinical biomedical research.
- Gillian Thomson – Herriot Watt University
- Gordon Love – Durham University
- Graham Medley – Warwick University
- Heather Rea – Heriot Watt University
- Howie Firth – Orkney Science Festival
- Iain D Keenan – Science Writer
- Iain Lake – University of East Anglia
- Ian Frayling – Cardiff University
- Ian Lyon – Manchester University
- Ian Simpson – University of East Anglia
- Ian Young – Royal College of Pathologists
- Iker Elorza – Bristol University
- Irena Stancheva – Edinburgh University
- Jackson Kirkman-Brown – Birmingham University
- James Pothecary – The Cheltenham Ladies’ College
- Jamie Harle – Open University
- Jamie Tattersall – Durham University
- Jan Alexander – University of East Anglia
- Jason Halford’s – Liverpool University
- Jeanne Robinson – Culture and Sport Glasgow
- Jim Horne – Popular Science Author and Professor of Psychophysiology
- Joanna Haigh – Imperial College
- Joe Crayston – The Edinburgh and St Andrews Research School of Chemistry
- John A. Howe – The Scottish Association for Marine Science
- John Baxter – Open University
- John Gribbin – Popular Science Author
- Jon Golding – Open University
- Jonathan Side – The International Centre for Island Technology
- Judith Sleeman – St Andrews University
- Kamal Ivory – Institute of Food Research
- Katherine Robinson – National Physical Lab
- Keith Leppard – Warwick University
- Ken Flint – Warwick University
- Ken Skeldon – designs technology exhibits
- Kevin Bird – Institution of Mechanical Engineers
- Kevin Kerr – Royal College of Pathologists
- Konstantinos Chalvatzis – University of East Anglia
- Lance Fogg – Engineering and design consultancy
- Laura Janes – Hands On Science
- Lee-Ann Coleman from the British Library
- Lesley Smart – Open University
- Lindsay Marshall – Newcastle University
- Lisa-Marie Martin – Intertek
- Lorna Stevenson – Oxford University Museum of Natural History
- Maarten – Going Nova
- Macarena Cárdenas – Open University
- Macarena L. Cardenas – Open University
- Malcolm Granville – Flight Engineer with 10,000hrs flying experience
- Marcus Kaiser – Newcastle University
- Marina Sawdon – Durham University
- Mark Brake – popular science writer
- Mark Dowsett – Warwick
- Mark Looseley – St Andrews University
- Mark Norris – Newquay Zoo
- Mark Wall – Warwick
- Martin Davies – The BA
- Martin Hendry – Senior Lecturer in Astronomy
- Martin McCoustra – group leader at the Heriot-Watt Astrochemistry Research Group
- Martin McDonagh – Birmingham University
- Martin Ryan – St Andrews University
- Matthew Acton – Institution of Mechanical Engineers
- Matthew Trainer – University of Glasgow
- Maurice Gallagher – University of Edinburgh
- Melanie – MRC
- Melissa Wragg – University of Sheffield
- Michael de Podesta – National Physical Lab
- Miguel Garcia-Sancho – Manchester University
- Mike Bentley – Durham University
- Mike Hallworth – works for labtestsonline
- Mike McDermott – Birmingham University
- Mike Wilding – Manchester University
- Neil Shirtcliffe – Nottingham Trent University
- Nick A Chappell – Lancaster University
- Nick Brooks – Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
- Nicola Corbett – Open University
- Niels Walet – Manchester University
- Nigel Eady – The BA
- Noni Frankin – University of Birmingham
- Oliver Crimmen – from the Natural History Museum
- Pam Buchan – Regional Officer for the BA
- Paul Burgess – The Felsted Schools
- Paul Dennis – University of East Anglia
- Paul Eccleston – STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL)
- Paul Munday – University of East Anglia
- Paul Scholefield – Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
- Pauline Lai – Institute of Engineering and Technology
- Pete Edwards – Durham University
- Peter Chevins – Keele University
- Peter Halford – Imperial War Museum
- Peymane Adab – Birmingham University
- Phil Bland – Imperial College London
- Phil Brown – author of HistoryoftheUniverse.com
- Phil Jardine – University of Birmingham
- Prof. Bob Nichol – University of Portsmouth
- Professor J.A.J. Gowlett – The British Academy Centenary Project
- Professor Paul Williams – Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
- Rafi Blumenfeld – Imperial College, London
- Ray Mathias – Science and Technology Facilities Council
- Richard Green – Birmingham University
- Rinat Khusainov – University of Portsmouth
- Robert Hagan – St Andrews University
- Rod Stevenson – Space Education Council
- Roland Jackson – BA Chief Executive
- Ruth Oulton – Sheffield University
- Ruth Wood – University of Manchester
- Sandy Anderson – Newcastle University
- Sandy Smith
- Sarah McLusky – Sparks Education
- Sarah Reece – University of Edinburgh
- Shaf Sharif – Senior I.T Architect Technologist for Atos Origin
- Shelley Richardson – Lancaster University
- Sian Stewart – Hartpury College
- Simon Goodwin – Sheffield University
- Simon Knowles – The Royal College of Pathologists
- Sophie Scott – Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
- Stephanie Bell – National Physical Lab
- Stephen Serjeant – Open University
- Steve Bithell – works for British Nuclear Fuels
- Steve Busby – University of Birmingham
- Steve Crossan – works for Google
- Steve Drury – Open University
- Steven Tipper – Bangor University
- Stuart Atkinson – Amateur astronomer and a children’s science author
- Stuart Lynn – The Royal Observatory Edinburgh
- Sue Blackmore – University of the West of England
- Sue Hunt – Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
- Susan Bulleid – Manchester Museum
- Suzanne Pritchard – The Royal Observatory Edinburgh
- Terry Smith – St Andrews University
- The Institute of Particle Physics Phenomenology (IPPP) Big Question team!
- Thomas Simes – Swansea University Motor Industry
- Tim Dawson – The Royal College of Pathologists
- Tom Argles – Open University
- Tom Westgate – Science writer
- Trevor Bailey – Museum of Wales
- Trevor Day – Lecturer in Neural control
- Val Cox – Coventry University
- Wes Fraser – Open University
- William Egner – The Royal College of Pathologists
- Yasmin Hilmi – The BA
- Yoseph Araya – Open University
Blog at WordPress.com. Theme: Digg 3 Column by WP Designer
Good question Laura.
One answer could be our language. We have certain times, midday and midnight, that are defined by the sun’s position in the sky. Midday is halfway between the sun rising and the sun setting. Because we live on a sphere the precise definition of that time changes for people living on different locations on the sphere(different longitudes). For the sake of social cohesion and not having to adjust your watch everytime we travel East or West, we arrange these differences into “time zones”. So strictly(in winter aoiding issues of British Summer Time), midday in Plymouth is slightly later than midday should be by the definiton of our language.
Because the Earth “spins” on it’s axis (from side to side). It takes the Earth about 24 hours to do this.
As the Earth rotates, the sun rises where I live (Alberta, Canada). Further to the East, the sun has already risen (because the sun “rises” in the East), and further west it is still dark out.
This goes back to the times before electricity, when people worked and lived by the clock of the Sun. We couldn’t harvest our fields or sell our veggies in the market when it was dark out. Also, daytime feels “safer” for the caveman in all of us (especially back then). Even now, darkness is scary for a lot of people. People fear what they don’t know, and what they can’t see, they can’t know.
So early on we settled into sleeping at night and waking during the day. As trade increased and so did our technology, it became important to know what a time was somewhere else in the world – if you’re in Vancouver and talking on the phone to someone in Toronto, the sun might already be down there and everyone’s gone home from work.
Thus did time zones become necessary.
apparently people wanted all to have their times. To put it simply, they wanted “midday” to be called the same time everywhere (12:00 pm) Since the earth rotates, different places experience “midday” or any other sun phase at different times. If it is Mid day in New York, then it is not mid day in Los angeles. It will be mid day in los angeles in around 3 hours, so they break the timezones up that way.