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Hi there! I am Studyfin, your geography buddy. Today we will explore why different places on Earth have different times!
Have you ever wondered why it can be sunny in New York while it is dark and starry in Tokyo? This happens because our Earth is a giant spinning ball. As Earth spins, the sun only shines on one side of it at a time.
Because the Earth spins, we divide the world into twenty-four different time zones. Each zone is like a vertical stripe on the globe. When you move one stripe to the east, you add one hour. When you move one stripe to the west, you subtract one hour.
Imagine you are in London, England. If you travel east toward Asia, the time gets later. If you travel west toward America, the time gets earlier. We can use a simple map to count the hours and find the local time!
Your friend lives in London, where it is currently 2:00 PM. You live in a city that is 3 time zones to the west of London. What time is it in your city?
- Find your starting point. London is at 2:00 PM.
- Check the direction of travel. Your city is to the west of London.
- Remember the rule: traveling west means the time gets earlier. We must subtract hours.
- Count backward 3 hours from 2:00 PM.
- One hour back is 1:00 PM. Two hours back is 12:00 PM. Three hours back is 11:00 AM.
- Great job! It is 11:00 AM in your city.
