Why time zones?

Why are you always such a jerk? I asked a question trying to understand something I didn't understand.

That's how knowledge is sought. *flips bird* Peckerwood.

 

Who gives a fucke?

 

Wow dude, you're way too intense.

 

:lurk5:

 

I may be way off and I didn't really take the time to read through this whole thread, but aren't the purpose of time zones because of the sun and when it hits a certain area?

 

I guess. I just don't know why it can't be 5am in the sun.

The answers I got never really explained why timezones were actually necessary. People went by the sun, so time was off.

Well why does noon have to mean high sun? Why can't it just be noon when its noon, where ever the sun may be. We have satellites and computers and shit now. Even my playstation still knows what time it is. No one is gonna loose track. It just seems needlessly complicated to me. Like the standard system of measurement. How hard would it really be to transition to metric? That's probably part of the reason americans have lower math scores statistically. Our first experience with numbers has no logical pattern to it. Throws you off..

 

who really gives a shit what time it is.. you make like youre gonna miss oprah or something..

 

Well no shit I'm not gonna miss Oprah.

 

In this time zone, the hippo is on TV now..

 

Not sure but I think the international time zone thing was enacted in WW1 but I could just be drunk.

 

Actually, the entire country of China is under one time zone. Although I think the province of Xinjiang has their own separate time zone, one or two hours behind Beijing time, but am I not sure if Beijing recognizes it. Xinjiang is where a large population of Uighurs (and other Muslim minorities) live but it has seen larger and larger influx of Han population (China is +90% Han ethnicity) as well CONTROL and change with that influx. Including a change to the standard Mandarin language in all universities in that province. So I am sure China is totally unified under one time zone by now too if they managed to switch the "official" language from Uighur to Mandarin in Xinjiang.

 

Never would have known that if you hadn't posted

 

Oh well! who cares..

I still added something to what you said. And I am correct, Xinjiang is indeed two hours ahead of Beijing time. So, technically, two time zones. Though I suppose Beijing does not acknowledge it.

 

time zones just standardised what people were doing anyway. i don't know why they chose to say noon is when the sun is highest, they just did, all of them, everywhere. so the railroad people standardised it to help with scheduling.

 

sundials

 

but why did they call it noon? i have no idea.

 

its hippo time..

 

That has to be one of the oldest words in the English language, but sundials are older than English itself.

 

pretty sure it was mostly unnecessary. i mean, a tree or rock could work, but they're not really heirlooms.

 

Time zones made shipping and especially trains more efficient and more importantly safer, otherwise time was just measured on locally by it'd be noon when the sun was directly overhead.

Apparently noon derives from the highest/bright, so hence noon being when the sun was the highest in the sky.