2007-02-06 06:27:59 · 13 answers · asked by Ryder 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Trivia
The calender and mode of time we have adopted for centuries is as precise as it can be for practical use, but it is not perfect.
Every year, there is a 1/4th of a day that is unaccounted for in our calender. The ratio of 60 seconds to a minute, 60 minutes to an hour, 24 hours a day, and 365 days in a year almost perfectly accounts for all the time in a year, but since it is impossible to demonstrate the 1/4th of a day on a calendar we disregard the extra 1/4th of a day until every fourth year. Every four years we become a whole day off of when we consider it to be a new year, hence we use "leap year" and add February 29th to correct the problem.
Leap year accounts for the anomoly of the extra 1/4th of a day and makes use of our current time and calendar structure plausible and practical. It allows us to correctly celebrate the new year when the Earth is positioned in essentially the same spot in the universe. Without leap year, our calendar would not be able to associate the specific position of the Earth in the universe to a specific day. Eventually over many years without leap year the calendar would be shifted in a way that January could mean summer in the U.S., and July could be winter.
So, in summary, there are 365 and 1/4th days in a year, and there has always been that 1/4th of a day. It is only accounted for once every four years by a "leap year" in which Feb. 29th is added to the calendar to keep our calendar in sync with the Earth's rotation around the sun. This is the most basic way to look at.
**Please note that the technical amount of time for the earth to rotate around the sun is 365 days and a little less than 1/4th of a day so there are specific exceptions to when a leap does not occur when it would normally to account for this. Normally, every century does not have a leap year (i.e. 1800, 1900 etc.). This does however overcompensate the problem very slightly and so every 1000 years we have a leap year (i.e. 2000 had a leap year, 3,000 will have a leap year if we use the same calendar and last that long!). For practicality's sake you can just consider it a 1/4th of a day though.
2007-02-06 07:04:42 · answer #1 · answered by Evan's secret identity 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The 1/4 is because of leap year.
The reason for this is because the moon rotates 365 and 1/4 days around the earth, and we have a leap year to make up for the lost day.
2007-02-06 08:15:26 · answer #2 · answered by WajasFreak 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Every four years we have a "leap year" where the month of February has 29 days instead of the usual 28. That is how we use up the extra 1/4 day. The measurement of time we use means that our year is 365 and 1/4 days so we equalise it by means of the "leap year". Our year relates to the position of the earth in relation to the sun which creates our seasons. Great question!
2007-02-06 06:43:40 · answer #3 · answered by coffee 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the 1/4 is why we have a leap year every 4 years. It's just the Earth makes one complete orbit in 365 days and 1/4 day.
2007-02-06 10:08:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It takes the earth slightly less than 365 1/4 days for the earth to complete one orbit around the sun. Therefore, we have leap year (February 29th) every 4 years to make up the extra time. However, this actually over corrects so every 100 years we do not have leap year (1800 and 1900 were not leap years). This also over corrects, so every 1000 years we go ahead and have leap year anyway (2000 was a leap year).
There you go. For what it is worth.
2007-02-06 06:39:49 · answer #5 · answered by Jeffrey P 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Total number of days in a year should be 365 and once in four years it is increased to 366 days. If it is uniformly 30 days in a month, that will make the number only 360 in a year. Hence, 5 or 6 more days need to be distributed on a few months. Ideally, it is better to do that on alternate months. Due to some historical factors, some moths got additional days and some did not. It is not clear why February got famished.
2016-05-24 00:12:58 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
When the earth orbits the sun, one revolution is one "year." One calendar year is 365 days, but when the earth orbits the sun, it takes 365 and a quarter of a day. This quarter of a day causes us to celebrate "leap years" nearly every four years, when we add an extra day to Ferbuary. Notice I said "nearly" just there. That's because it is not exactly a quarter of a day. It is just a little bit off. That is why the year 2000 was, but 2100 will not be, a leap year.
2007-02-06 10:27:59 · answer #7 · answered by Daniel Y 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The earth rotates 1/4 way around after the 365 rotations every year. That's why February 29th only exists every four years.
2007-02-06 10:18:32 · answer #8 · answered by booda2009 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the 1/4 is the residual of the current modern calendar that western civilization uses.
the 1/4 adds up and every now and then we have a 29th of Feb.
the 1/4 doesn't really 'come' from anywhere ..... it has always 'been' there..... it is just a result of the way we've divided up the year.
2007-02-06 06:34:48 · answer #9 · answered by dharp66 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It comes from the earth orbiting around the sun in the same time that it rotates 365.24 times around its own axis.
Leap years every four years, with exceptions every 100 and 400 years, takes care of the fine differences in the length of time of the orbit.
2007-02-06 06:37:48 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋