how come there is a time difference in the world?

Answer 1

The concept of time zones started because everyone used a different time in various parts of the world...generally using solar time (or sun dials) as a basis. When the railroad system became the single most important form of transportation they needed to devise a time in which to base schedules and synchronize with places the railroads traveled to. Hence...time zones. It was a compromise between "solar time", local times and geographic locations.

Answer 2

The sun takes 24 hours to circumnavigate the Earth. This means that it is always high noon in one part of the world, while it is midnight exactly halfway around the world from it. Would you like to call the time in your area midnight when the sun is directly above you in the sky? It is because of this that the world was divided into 24 different time zones (this is ignoring those areas where the time zone actually changes on the half hour, like some mountainous areas of the world, and Newfoundland in Canada), so that when our clock reaches high noon, the sun will actually be (close to) directly above our heads.

Answer 3

Because the Earth is round and only half the world is lit by the sun at a time. While half of us are sleeping, the other half is wide awake. In order to avoid confusion, we have the time difference so morning and night mean the same thing to all of us. If we didn't have the time difference, someone in China might tell you that they went to bed at 8am, which would be night time for them.

Answer 4

We generally define a circle as a set of 360 degrees. We generally define a full day as having 24 hours. If you divide 360 by 24, there is about 15 degrees per hour. The progress of the sun across the sky helps define this. When it is noon in, say, New York City, it will not be in Los Angeles or Seattle. When it is noon in places like Houston, it is 1 PM (post, or after, meridian). When it is noon in Denver, it is 1 PM in Houston and 2 PM in New York. When it is noon in Los Angeles, it is 1 PM in Denver, 2 PM, in Houston, and 3 PM in New York. This kind of procession carries on around the world. There is an observatory in England, by a town called Greenwich where the prime meridian is. That is where the world's master clocks are set off of (www.time.gov, the US standard is one). People in the military might refer to that as "zulu time", and we count hours forward (east of there) or hours less than that (west of there). In the Pacific ocean is the opposite, called the International Date line. Essentially, if it is midnight at the line then it is noon in London (along the same line as Greenwich). If it is Sunday on the east at that time, then it is Monday to the west of the Date line at midnight.

Answer 5

Have a look at "World Time Zones" from the page below. There's a little map in the top left showing movement of night/day.

Answer 6

The world (earth) turns as it revolves around the sun. Daytime on the east side of the world can be night time on the west side of the world. Kindergarden question... Can't think of anything to ask?

Answer 7

Because the world is round and spinning on its axis, when its night time on once side of the world its daytime on the other.

Answer 8

because it turns out the world ISNT flat....its round and the sun rises and sets at different times in different parst of the world

Answer 9

Because of the date line. Am an Aussie and we are way ahead of the rest of the world lol

Answer 10

Due to the fact that the Earth orbits the sun and that some countries dont want to have their lunch at 2AM