EntranceZero reference point for the world's time zones. Time zones, GMT, UTC, CDT
Time difference between Moscow and Russian cities.
Nowadays, time is set using Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which was introduced to replace Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The UTC scale is based on the uniform atomic time scale (TAI) and is more convenient for civilian use. Time Zones around the globe are expressed as positive and negative offsets from UTC. It should be remembered that UTC time is not converted either in winter or summer. Therefore, for those places where there is a change to daylight saving time, the offset relative to UTC changes.
Principles of differentiation
The basis modern system time zones are based on coordinated universal time (universal time), on which the time of all time zones depends. In order not to enter local time for each degree (or each minute) of longitude, the Earth's surface is conventionally divided into 24 time zones. When moving from one time zone to another, the values of minutes and seconds (time) are preserved, only the value of the hours changes. There are some countries in which local time differs from world time not only by a whole number of hours, but also by an additional 30 or 45 minutes. True, such time zones are not standard time zones.
Russia - 11 time zones;
Canada - 6 time zones;
USA - 6 time zones (including Hawaii, excluding island territories: American Samoa, Midway, Virgin Islands, etc.);
in the autonomous territory of Denmark - Greenland - 4 time zones;
Australia and Mexico - 3 time zones each;
Brazil, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo - 2 time zones each.
The territories of each of the remaining countries in the world are located in only one time zone.
Despite the fact that the territory of China is located in five theoretical time zones, a single Chinese standard time operates throughout its territory.
The only administrative-territorial unit in the world whose territory is divided into more than two time zones is the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), which is a subject of the Russian Federation (3 time zones).
In the USA and Canada, the boundaries of time zones are very winding: there are often cases when they go through a state, province or territory, since territorial affiliation with a particular zone is determined at the levels of second-order administrative-territorial units.
UTC-12 - International Date Line
UTC-11 - Samoa
UTC-10 - Hawaii
UTC-9 - Alaska
UTC-8 - North American Pacific Time (USA and Canada)
UTC-7 - Mountain Time (USA and Canada), Mexico (Chihuahua, La Paz, Mazatlan)
UTC-6 - Central Time (USA and Canada), Central American Time, Mexico (Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey)
UTC-5 - North American Eastern Time (USA and Canada), South American Pacific Time (Bogota, Lima, Quito)
UTC-4:30 - Caracas
UTC-4 - Atlantic Time (Canada), South American Pacific Time, La Paz, Santiago)
UTC-3:30 - Newfoundland
UTC-3 - South American Eastern Time (Brasilia, Buenos Aires, Georgetown), Greenland
UTC-2 - Mid-Atlantic Time
UTC-1 - Azores, Cape Verde
UTC+0 - Western European Time (Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London, Casablanca, Monrovia)
UTC+1 - Central European Time (Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Brussels, Vienna, Copenhagen, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, Belgrade, Bratislava, Budapest, Warsaw, Ljubljana, Prague, Sarajevo, Skopje, Zagreb) Western Central African Time
UTC+2 - Eastern European Time (Athens, Bucharest, Vilnius, Kiev, Chisinau, Minsk, Riga, Sofia, Tallinn, Helsinki, Kaliningrad), Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, South Africa
UTC+3 - Moscow time, East African time (Nairobi, Addis Ababa), Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UTC+3:30 - Tehran time
UTC+4 - Samara time, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia
UTC+4:30 - Afghanistan
UTC+5 - Yekaterinburg time, West Asian time (Islamabad, Karachi, Tashkent)
UTC+5:30 - India, Sri Lanka
UTC+5:45 - Nepal
UTC+6 - Novosibirsk, Omsk time, Central Asian time (Bangladesh, Kazakhstan)
UTC+6:30 - Myanmar
UTC+7 - Krasnoyarsk time, Southeast Asia(Bangkok, Jakarta, Hanoi)
UTC+8 - Irkutsk time, Ulaanbaatar, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Western Australian time (Perth)
UTC+9 - Yakut time, Korea, Japan
UTC+9:30 - Central Australian Time (Adelaide, Darwin)
UTC+10 - Vladivostok time, Eastern Australian time (Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney), Tasmania, Western Pacific time (Guam, Port Moresby)
UTC+11 - Magadan time, Central Pacific time (Solomon Islands, New Caledonia)
UTC+12 - Kamchatka time, Marshall Islands, Fiji, New Zealand
UTC+13 - Tonga
UTC+14 - Line Islands (Kiribati)
Before the introduction of standard time, each city used its own local solar time, depending on geographic longitude. The standard time system was adopted in the late 19th century as an attempt to end the confusion caused by each locality using its own solar time. The need to introduce such a standard became extremely urgent with the development of the railway, if train schedules were compiled according to the local time of each city, which caused not only inconvenience and confusion, but also frequent accidents. This was especially true for large territories connected by the system railways.
Before the invention of the railroad, traveling from one place to another took so much time. When traveling, time would only need to be advanced by 1 minute every 12 miles. But with the advent of the railroad, which made it possible to travel hundreds of miles a day, timing became a serious problem.
Great Britain
Britain was the first country to decide to establish one standard time for the entire country. The British Railways were more concerned with the problem of local time inconsistency, which forced the government to unify time throughout the country. The original idea belonged to Dr. William Hyde Wollaston (1766-1828) and was taken up by Abraham Follett Osler (1808-1903). Time was set according to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and for a long time it was called “London time”.
The first to switch to the use of “London time” (1840) was the Great Western Railway. Others began to imitate it, and by 1847 most British railways were using single time. On September 22, 1847, the Railway Clearing House, which set standards for the entire industry, recommended that all stations be set to Greenwich Time with the permission of the General Post Office. The transition took place on December 1, 1847.
On August 23, 1852, time signals were first transmitted by telegraph from the Royal Greenwich Observatory.
Until 1855, the vast majority of public clocks in Britain were set to Greenwich Mean Time. But the process of official transition to new system Timekeeping was constrained by British legislation, thanks to which local time remained officially accepted for many years. This led, for example, to such oddities as, for example, polling stations opening at 08:13 and closing at 16:13. Officially, the transition to new time in Britain took place after the introduction of legislation on the determination of time on August 2, 1880.
New Zealand
New Zealand was the first country to officially adopt standard time throughout the country (November 2, 1868). The country is located 172° 30" longitude east of Greenwich and its time was 11 hours 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. This standard was known as New Zealand Mean Time.
North America
In America and Canada, standard time and time zones were introduced on November 18, 1883, also by railroads. By that time, determining the time was a local matter. Most cities used "solar time" and the standard by which time was set was often a well-known clock in each locality (for example, clocks in church bell towers or in jewelry store windows.
The first person in the United States to sense the growing need for standardization of time was amateur astronomer William Lambert, who in early 1809 submitted to Congress a recommendation for the establishment of time meridians in the country. But this recommendation was rejected, as was Charles Dowd's original proposal, submitted in 1870, which proposed the establishment of four time zones, the first of which would run through Washington. In 1872, Dowd revised his proposal, changing the center of reference to Greenwich. It was this last proposal of his, almost unchanged, that was used by the railroads of the United States of America and Canada eleven years later.
November 18, 1883 The American and Canadian Railways changed the clocks for all railway stations according to time zone (forward or backward). The belts were named Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific.
Despite the adoption of standard time by major railroads in the United States and Canada, it was still many years before standard time became the norm. Everyday life. But the use of standard time began to spread rapidly, given its obvious practical benefits for communications and travel.
Within a year, 85% of all North American cities (about 200) with a population greater than 10,000 were already using standard time. Only Detroit and Michigan stood out noticeably.
Detroit lived on local time until 1900, when the City Council decreed that clocks be set back twenty-eight minutes to Central Standard Time. Half the city complied and half refused. After considerable debate, the decree was lifted and the city returned to solar time. In 1905, Central Time was adopted by city vote. By city ordinance in 1915 and then by vote in 1916, Detroit switched to Eastern Standard Time (EST).
Throughout the United States, standard time and time zones were introduced with the passage of the Standard Time Act in 1918. The US Congress adopted the standard time zones previously established by the railroads and transferred responsibility for any subsequent changes to them to the Interstate Commerce Commission, the only federal transportation regulatory body at the time. In 1966, the authority to enact time-related legislation was transferred to the Congressional Department of Transportation.
The current boundaries of time zones in the United States have been significantly changed compared to their original version, and such changes are still occurring today. The Department of Transportation processes all change requests and conducts rulemakings. In general, time zone boundaries tend to shift westward. For example, at the eastern end of a time zone, sunset may be replaced an hour later (clockwise) by moving to the adjacent time zone to the east. Thus, the boundaries of the time zone are locally shifted to the west. The reasons for this phenomenon are similar to the reasons for the introduction of “maternity” time in Russia (see Summer time). The accumulation of such changes leads to a long-term tendency for the belt boundaries to move westward. This is not uncontrollable, but is very undesirable as it entails late sunrise in such areas, especially in winter. According to American law, the main factor in deciding whether to change a time zone is “to facilitate business.” According to this criterion, proposed changes were both approved and rejected, but most of them were accepted.
When traveling around Russia and the World, you must remember that time may change depending on where you are. Since local time is generally used everywhere, it is necessary to be able to determine it anywhere in the world. The modern time zone system is based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), on which the time of all time zones depends. The UTC scale was introduced in 1964 and is established by atomic clocks. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) always remains an independent reference for the whole world and from which, knowing the difference between your standard time, you can always calculate your local time.
The standard time system makes it easy to determine the standard time at any location. There is a certain relationship between standard time and time zones. The difference between the time zones of two points is equal to the difference in the time zone numbers. This relationship allows you to determine the time at a given point by the known standard time of another time point.
The time at a given point will be equal to the time of the point where it is known, plus or minus the difference in time zone numbers. The specified difference is added to the known standard time if the point whose time is determined is located east of the point whose time is known, and if it is to the west, it is subtracted.
In Russia:
According to the federal law “On Amendments to the federal law“On the Calculation of Time”, adopted on July 1, 2014, from October 26, 2014, Moscow time corresponds to the third time zone in the national time scale Russian Federation UTC+3. There are 11 time zones, corresponding in international numbering to time zones from 2 to 12 inclusive.
1st time zone (MSK-1, Moscow time minus 1 hour, UTC+2): Kaliningrad region;
2nd time zone (MSK, Moscow time, UTC+3): Republic of Adygea (Adygea), Republic of Dagestan, Republic of Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, Republic of Kalmykia, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Republic of Karelia, Komi Republic, Republic of Crimea, Republic of Mari El, Republic of Mordovia, Republic of North Ossetia - Alania, Republic of Tatarstan, Chechen Republic, Chuvash Republic - Chuvashia, Krasnodar region, Stavropol region, Arhangelsk region, Astrakhan region, Belgorod region, Bryansk region, Vladimir region, Volgograd region, Vologda region, Voronezh region, Ivanovo region, Kaluga region, Kirov and Kostroma regions, Kursk region, Leningrad region, Lipetsk region, Moscow region, Murmansk region, Nizhny Novgorod region, Novgorod region, Oryol region, Penza region, Pskov region, Rostov region, Ryazan region, Saratov region, Smolensk region, Tambov Region, Tver region, Tula region, Ulyanovsk region, Yaroslavl region, Nenets autonomous region; cities of federal significance - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sevastopol;
3rd time zone (MSK+1, UTC+4): Udmurt Republic, Samara region;
4th time zone (MSK+2, UTC+5): Republic of Bashkortostan, Perm region, Kurgan region, Orenburg region, Sverdlovsk region, Tyumen region, Chelyabinsk region, Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets autonomous okrugs;
5th time zone (MSK+3, UTC+6): Altai Republic, Altai region, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Tomsk regions;
6th time zone (MSK+4, UTC+7): Republic of Tyva, Rep. Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Territory and Kemerovo Region;
7th time zone (MSK+5, UTC+8): Republic of Buryatia, Transbaikal region, Irkutsk region;
8th time zone (MSK+6, UTC+9): Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (Aldansky, Amginsky, Anabarsky, Bulunsky, Verkhnevilyuysky, Vilyuisky, Gorny, Zhigansky national Evenki, Kobyaisky, Lensky, Megino-Kangalassky, Mirny, Namsky , Neryungrinsky, Nyurbinsky, Olekminsky, Oleneksky Evenki national, Suntarsky, Tattinsky, Tomponsky, Ust-Aldansky, Ust-Maysky, Khangalassky, Churapchinsky and Eveno-Bytantaysky districts), the city of Yakutsk, Amur region;
9th time zone (MSK+7, UTC+10): Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (Verkhoyansk, Oymyakon and Ust-Yansky districts), Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories, Magadan region, Sakhalin region(Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, Anivsky, Dolinsky, Korsakovsky, Kurilsky, Makarovsky, Nevelsky, Nogliki, Okha, Poronaisky, Smirnykhovsky, Tomarinsky, Tymovsky, Uglegorsky, Kholmsky, Yuzhno-Kurilsky districts), Jewish Autonomous Region, the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
10th time zone (MSK+8, UTC+11): Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (Abyisky, Allaikhovsky, Verkhnekolymsky, Momsky, Nizhnekolymsky and Srednekolymsky districts), Sakhalin region (North Kuril region);
11th time zone (MSK+9, UTC+12): Kamchatka Territory, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
Precise time signals are transmitted via radio, television and the Internet in the UTC system.
Algorithm for solving problems
by definition of standard and local time.
Definition of standard time
Task: Determine the standard time of Magadan if it is 6 o’clock in Moscow.
Actions:
1. Determine what time zone the locations are in
Moscow 2; Magadan 10;
2. Determine how much the time difference is between the points
10 -2 =8 (difference between points in time)
3. Calculate the standard time (determine which point is east and which is west.) Magadan is east, which means there is more time there, therefore, you need to add the time difference to Moscow time. 6 +8 = 14 hours
Answer: Magadan standard time is 14 hours.
Determining local time
Task: Determine the local time in Magadan if it is 6 o'clock in Moscow.
Actions:
1. Determine geographic longitude points
Moscow 37° east; Magadan 151° E;
2. Calculate the difference in degrees between points
151°-37°=114°
3. Calculate the time difference between points
114 x 4 =456:60= 7.6 hours (this is 7 hours 36 minutes because 0.6 hours x 60 minutes = 36 minutes)
4. Determine local time (add Moscow time and time difference.)
6 +7 hours 36 minutes = 13 hours 36 minutes
Answer: Local time in Magadan13 hours 36 minutes
Notes :
0.1 hour – 6 minutes
0.2 hours -12 minutes
0.3 hours -18 minutes etc.
Tasks for determining standard time
The plane took off from Chita (8th time zone) to Murmansk (2nd time zone) at 22:00.
The plane landed in Murmansk at 21:00. How long was the plane in flight?
Solution:
To answer the task you need to determine the time difference in two cities. It is known that the time of each time zone differs by 1 hour. For Chita and Murmansk the difference is
(8 – 2 = 6) 6 hours Knowing that Chita is located east of Murmansk, we conclude that in Chita
time is 6 hours more than in Murmansk. This means the plane took off from Chita when it was (22 – 6 = 16) 16 o’clock in Murmansk, and landed in Murmansk at 21 o’clock. Accordingly, it was in flight for 5 hours.
Tasks:
1. The plane took off from Chita (8th time zone) to Murmansk (2nd time zone) at 15:00 local time. The flight time from Chita to Murmansk is 5 hours. How long will it be in Murmansk when the plane lands? Answer: 14 hours
2. Determine when, Moscow time, you will land in Moscow (2nd time zone)
an airplane that took off from Yekaterinburg (4th time zone) at 11 a.m. local time and was in flight for 2 hours. Answer: 11 a.m.
3. Determine when, Moscow time, you will land in Moscow (2nd time zone)
An airplane that took off from Novosibirsk (5th time zone) at 11 a.m. local time and was in flight for 5 hours. Answer: 13 hours.
4. The plane took off at 9 o’clock from Moscow (2nd time zone) to Yakutsk (8th time zone).
When, local time, will a plane that has been in flight for 5 hours land in Yakutsk?
Answer: 20 hours
5. How much time (including maternity leave) will it be in Krasnoyarsk (6th time zone) if it is midnight in London? Answer: 7 hours
6. What time (including maternity leave) will it be in Murmansk (2nd time zone) when it is 12 noon in London? Answer: 15 hours
7. Determine the standard time (including maternity leave) of Krasnoyarsk (6th time zone), if it is 11 o’clock in London. Answer: 18 o’clock.
8. What time is it in Omsk (5th time zone), when it is 15:00 in Moscow? Answer: 18 hours
9. How much time, taking into account maternity leave, will it be in Vladivostok (9th time zone) when it is midnight in London? Answer: 10 hours
To solve problems on determining standard time, you need to: carefully study the map of time zones in Russia and the world. Pay attention to the time difference in Russia and the world, have a clear idea of zone, maternity, and Moscow time; remember the location of the date line.
Main theses of the topic: time zones of the world.
In each time zone, time is calculated by the meridian passing through its middle. This time is called zone time. It differs from the time of the neighboring zone by exactly one hour. The belts are counted from west to east. The zone along whose axis the Greenwich meridian passes is taken to be zero.
Local time is the time on one meridian at each point.
The territory of Russia is located within 11 time zones, from Moscow 2 to 12. Eleven hours separate the Kaliningrad region from Chukotka in the east.
Date line. In order to avoid confusion with the days of the year, an international date line has been established. It was carried out according to geographic maps approximately along the 180th meridian, bypassing the land. If we cross this line from west to east, then we will complete T+1 revolution, i.e. T+1 day, and, oddly enough, we will arrive on yesterday. Consequently, crossing this line from west to east, we must count the same day twice. When crossing the date line from east to west, on the contrary, skip one day.
Maternity time. Special resolution (decree) of the Council People's Commissars in 1930, standard time throughout the country was moved forward one hour. This was done for more efficient, full use of daytime.
Summer time. The length of the day increases in summer. Daylight saving time is introduced throughout the country on the last Sunday in March: clocks are moved back one hour. In autumn, on the last Sunday in October, daylight saving time is cancelled.
Problems to determine standard time .
1. Determine summer time in Yakutsk, Magadan, if it is 10 am in Moscow?
2. Determine the time in Brazil if it is 8 o’clock in Moscow?
3. By what system would time be measured on Earth if it did not rotate around its axis?
4. The ship, which sailed from Vladivostok on Saturday, May 24, arrived in San Francisco (USA) exactly 15 days later. On what date, month and day of the week did he arrive in San Francisco?
5. It’s noon on the prime meridian, and 17-00 on the ship. In what ocean is the ship sailing?
6. If it is 12-00 in London, what time is it in Moscow and Vladivostok?
7. What time is it in Magadan local time, if on the Greenwich meridian line
12-00?
8. A resident of Alaska flew to Chukotka. How many hours should he move the hands to?
9. How many times in our country can you meet New Year?
Solving problems for local and standard time.
Task №1.
At 30°E Wednesday, January 1, 18:00 local time. What day of the week, date and time is on the 180th meridian?
Solution:
1. Find the difference in degrees and time between 30° East. and 180 degree meridian:
180°- 30°E = 150°: 15°/hour = 10 hours (this is the time difference).
Since the 180th meridian is located east of 30°E, then by local time 30°E. (18 hours) you need to add the time difference i.e. 10 hours:
18 hours + 10 hours = 28 hours (1 day and 4 hours).
Answer:
Task No. 2.
In Kyiv, standard time is 12 o'clock. In point A the local time is 9 o’clock, and in point B it is 14 o’clock.
Determine the geographic longitude of points A and B.
Solution:
The longitude of Kyiv is 31° east.
For point "A"
1)12 hours – 9 hours = 3 hours;
2)3 hours×15° = 45°;
3)45° - 31° = 14°W
For point "B"
1)14 hours – 12 hours = 2 hours;
2)2 hours×15° = 30°;
3)31°+30° = 61°E.
Answer:
The longitude of point A is 14°W, the longitude of point B is 61°E.
Task No. 3.
At the 180 meridian - Monday, May 15, 15:00 local time. What day, day of week and local time at: 45°E, 150°E, 0°longitude, 15°W, 170°W.
Solution:
a)180° - 45° = 135: 15/hour = 9 hours
9 hours – time difference between 180° meridian and 45° east. Since 45° E. is located east of the 180° meridian, then
Answer:
b)180° – 150° east. = 30°, 30°: 15/hour = 2 hours,
15 hours – 2 hours = 13 hours.
Answer:
c)180° – 0° = 180°, 180°: 15/hour = 12 hours
15 o'clock - 12 o'clock = 3 o'clock in the morning.
Answer:
d)180° + 15°w. = 195°, 195°: 15/hour = 13
taking into account the direction of rotation of the Earth from west to east:
15 o'clock - 13 o'clock = 26 o'clock or 2 o'clock in the morning, May 15, Monday.
Answer:
e)180° – 170°W. = 10° × 4min = 40 minutes
15 hours + 40 minutes = 15 hours 40 minutes.
Answer:
Task No. 4.
The plane took off from Pretoria (ΙΙ time zone) at 15:00 on December 1st and flew northeast. After 9 hours, he crossed the 180th meridian, and after another 2 hours he landed in Honolulu (14 time zone). What time and what date will it be in Honolulu at the time of landing.
Solution:
1. Determine the time difference between cities
24 - 14 – 2 = 12 hours
2. Determine the time in Honolulu at the time of landing from Pretoria. Since Honolulu is located further west, then
15 – 12 = 3 hours
3. Standard time in Honolulu when the plane lands
3 + 9 + 2 = 14 hours.
Answer:
The height of the sun above the horizon.
Determination of geographical coordinates.
Task No. 1.
Determine the geographic latitude of the city if it is known that on the days of the equinox the sun at noon is above the horizon at an altitude of 63° (the shadow falls to the south).
Solution:
The point is located in the southern hemisphere. The height of the sun on the days of the equinoxes is determined by the formulah= 90° - φ. Determine the latitude of the point φ = 90° - 63° = 27°S.
Task No. 2.
At what geographic latitude is city A located if the sun at noon on December 22 (the shadow falls to the south) is at an altitude of 70° above the horizon.
Solution:
From the conditions of the problem it follows that point A is located in the southern hemisphere, since the shadow falls to the south. The height of the sun for the summer solstice (December 22 – summer in the southern hemisphere) is determined by the formulah= 90° - φ + 23° 30"
From this formula you can find φ the latitude of the place i.e. city A
φ = 90° - 70° + 23°30" = 43°30"S.
Answer:
Geographic latitude of the city A = 43°30"S.
Task No. 3.
Determine the geographical coordinates of the city - the capital, located west of Kyiv at 27°30". The polar star in this place is visible at a distance of 54° from the zenith point.
Solution:
1. The longitude of Kyiv is 30 ° 30 "E. We can find the geographical longitude of the city
λ = 30°30" – 27°30" = 3° east.
2. In the northern hemisphere, the geographic latitude of any point is equal to the angle between the North Star and the horizon line. Finding the geographic latitude:
φ = 90° - 54° = 36°N.
Answer:
Geographic coordinates 36°N. and 3°E.
Task No. 4.
In the city - the capital of the island state, the sun is highest above the horizon during the day at 4 o'clock GMT. Throughout the year, the height of the sun varies from 52° to 90°. Name the city and state.
Solution:
1. Determine the time zone of the city:
12 hours – 4 hours = 8 time zone
2. Determine geographic longitude knowing that every 15° there is a time difference of 1 hour.
8 hours × 15° = 120° east.
3. the city is located between the tropics, since the sun can be at its zenith (90°)minthe angle of incidence of the sun's rays of 52° makes it possible to determine the geographical latitude during the period winter solstice
φ = 90° - 52° – 23.5° = 14.5°
The city has geographical coordinates of 14.5°N. and 120°E.
Answer:
Manila, Philippines.
From the moment the theory of the sphericity of the Earth and its rotation around the Sun and its own axis ceased to be disputed, it became clear that the entire surface of our planet cannot be illuminated by sunlight at the same time. The time of day changes to earth's surface consistently and gradually (which, in fact, is a change in time zone). Astronomical time depends on the moment at which the Sun is at its zenith, and at different points earth this does not happen simultaneously.
In the old days, there was no problem with the astronomical difference in time of day. In any populated area of the world, time was determined by the Sun: when it is at the highest point, it is noon. Initially, the main city clock was synchronized with this moment. No one thought about any time zone. And no one was particularly worried about the fact that between several fairly close cities the time difference could be 15 minutes.
However, under the influence of technological progress, times and life have changed. “Discord” over time became a real headache, in particular for those who used railway transport. Since standard time zones did not yet exist, to accurately comply with the schedule it was necessary to move the chronometer hand by 4 minutes at the intersection of each meridian. It’s simply impossible to keep track of this!
The railway workers were faced with an even more difficult problem - dispatch services could not really calculate the time the train was at a specific point in the movement. And this already smacked not only of delays, but of collisions and train wrecks.
The solution has been found - the creation of time zones
The idea of bringing order to time synchronization first came to the mind of the Englishman William Hyde Wollaston, better known for his discoveries in the field of metal chemistry. The solution was very simple - the chemist proposed establishing a single time zone throughout the UK - according to the Greenwich meridian. Railway workers immediately seized on this idea, and already in 1840 they began to switch to a single “London” time. In 1852, they began to regularly transmit precise time signals by telegraph.
However, the whole country switched to Greenwich Time only in 1880, when the corresponding law was passed.
The English idea was almost immediately adopted by the Americans. However, there was one catch - the territory of the United States is many times larger than the British Isles, and it is simply impossible for the states to introduce a single time zone throughout the country. Therefore, in 1883, the country was divided into 4 zones, in which the time differed by an hour from the neighboring one. This is how, in fact, the first four time zones appeared - Pacific, Eastern, Mountain and Central.
Even though the railroads were already using standard time, many cities refused to adjust their clocks to comply with the new decree. Detroit was the last to do this in 1916.
Even at the dawn of the time zone system, the “father” of Canadian railways, Sanford Fleming, began to propagate the theory that it was necessary to divide the entire planet into 24 time zones. The idea was rejected out of hand by politicians and even scientists; it was considered a utopia.
However, already in 1884 on a special international conference In Washington, the division of the Earth into 24 zones did occur. However, it must be said that some countries voted against this decision, in particular, the Russian representative - the head of the Pulkovo Observatory, Struve. We only joined the world time system in 1919.
Time zones of Russia
The image below shows the current map of time zones in Russia:
When traveling around the world, people inevitably end up at different times of the day - this is due to the movement of the planet around its axis. Russia is very big country, occupying an impressive territory. For greater convenience, its area was divided into a certain number of zones corresponding to the number of time zones in Russia.
What determines time on Earth?
Our planet, as you know, has a spherical shape. In 24 hours she manages to complete full turn around its axis, that is, 360°. Accordingly, in one hour the Earth rotates around its axis by 15°.
In different parts of the world, people experience sunset or sunrise at different times. In places located on different meridians, at the same moment, the clock hands will show different times of day. For example, in Yakutsk it will be 21 hours, while in Yekaterinburg it will be only 17.
But at the same time, on the same meridian throughout its entire length from Northern to South Pole the time of day will be the same. This time is called local or solar.
However, using local time is extremely inconvenient: it makes the development of relations between countries very difficult. To eliminate this discomfort, astronomers have proposed introducing a standard time system around the world.
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As a result, the entire planet was divided along the meridians into 24 zones, each of which included 15° longitude. Thus, the time in each time zone differs from the time in neighboring zones by 1 hour.
Zero is considered the time zone in the center of which the Greenwich meridian passes. He is also the 24th in a row. Time zones are counted from zero from west to east.
Rice. 1. Reference point – Greenwich meridian.
Time zones of Russia
The extent of Russia from west to east is very large, covering 11 time zones. The capital of the Russian Federation, Moscow, is located in the second time zone, and, say, the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is in the twelfth.
Moscow time serves as the reference point for determining local time anywhere in Russia. The difference is calculated by the number of full hours: the count of minutes and seconds is the same in all time zones.
To avoid confusion on Russian territory, all work of river, sea, aviation and railway transport, as well as various types of communications are carried out only according to Moscow time.
Rice. 2. Time zones of Russia on the map.
For greater convenience, the second and eleventh time zones in Russia were combined into one. For this reason, within the Russian Federation they are encountered not eleven, but ten times.
Independently calculate the standard time of each individual settlement It's not difficult at all. It is enough to know the boundaries of its location and the number of the time zone in which it is located. For example, if in Moscow, located in the second zone, it is 8 o’clock in the morning, then in Yekaterinburg, located in the fourth zone, it will be 10 o’clock in the morning, since the difference with Moscow will be 2 hours.
Table by city (time difference)
Maternity and summer time
In 1930, by decree of the Council of People's Commissars, clock hands throughout Russia were moved one hour ahead of relative standard time. The country lived in this regime for more than 50 years on the so-called “maternity” time. It was believed that the transition to a new time was established in order to save electricity. The return to seasonal time occurred only in 1981.
In the same year, summer time was introduced on the territory of the USSR. Between April 1 and October 1, clocks across the country were moved forward an hour. The official reason for this transition is the rational use of daylight hours and energy savings.
Rice. 3. Physiologists are against the transition to a new time.
However, physiologists are confident that such jumps in time have a very negative impact on people’s well-being. For any organism, the transition to a new time is stressful, and it takes some time for life cycles to adjust to new conditions.
Daylight saving time in the Russian Federation was canceled in 2011.
What have we learned?
While studying one of the topics in the 8th grade geography program, we found out how many time zones there are in Russia. We found out that their number of time zones corresponds to the number of meridians, and the time difference in each neighboring zone is exactly one hour. Moscow time is considered the main time in Russia, according to which all types of transport operate and connections are established throughout the country.
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