why do we put the clocks back?

Answer 1

Origianlly done to maximise the length of the working day and save fuel in First World War - 'day light saving' time. Some Trade Unions in early 1960s campaigned for the clocks to go forward an hour in summer to give people more usable, free time in daylight after work.

Answer 2

Clocks are subject to change because of the way the earth rotates. This is the same reason why we have different seasons. Put simply as the earth spins around the sun (1 year for a complete rotation) it also spins on its axis (1 (24 hours) day for a complete roation. However the axis is also not perfectly parallell to the sun. This means that as the year progresses the angle to which the sun strikes us changes. This gives us differing amounts of daytime light over the year. To help give us more light each day, Dayligh Saving Time was created. Turning the clock back by a single hour gives us extra light as the season turns to autumn and winter. Then we correct it in spring when the days are longer for the reasons stated above. Every 4 years we also give ourselves an extra day (Leap year) just to get everything back into sinc. This is because each year we accumalate an extra quarter of a day! Hope that helps!

Answer 3

because it has something to do with saving hours of daylight and was started by a man called William willet who reckoned it would improve peoples health and happiness and also the farmers have longer in the summer to harvest their crops some thing like that any way this year the clocks went forward an hour Sunday 25 march and go back an hour Sunday 28 October

Answer 4

Because the clocks will be a lot easier to read if they are where you can see them easily.

If you are asking about Daylight Saving Time, this is a custom whose nominal purpose is to make better use of the daylight hours in summertime and delay the amount of time that artificial lighting must be used in homes during the evening. This is less effective in the wintertime, but Daylight Saving Time is nevertheless extended a month or so beyond what would normally be required because people are more likely to shop during daylight and twilight hours than at night.

Answer 5

Your clock is showing the correct time when you put it back an hour in October. You ADD an hour to it in Spring. It is called daylight saving time. We don't really need daylight at 3am in the Summer, so we move on one hour and get the hour in the evening instead. In the war years we had DOUBLE British Summer Time (GMT+2) some people say to assist farmers, some say to help control population movement (people ten to stay put at night/during air raids)

Answer 6

Agree with NicNic + I love in the north west of Ireland in a rural area. Come end of September it's dark very early so not good on rainy nights (Most nights) As there is no visibility for children heading off home after school. It also means saving on electric at home. Well! Should do if it doesn't always work out that way!

Answer 7

It was originally for the farmers, as they had to start early they needed the extra daylight but now they have machinery to do all the hard work so it's not needed anymore.. Also I believe it was for the benefit of Scottish School children to make it safer for them travelling to School.. Now I guess it's just to be different! But I do enjoy the 'extra' hour in Autumn... Apparently they are talking about 'double double summer time', where they put the clocks forward but not back, then the next year put then forward again but again, not back and then leave well alone! That's two whole hours they will steal from us! Can't cope! love my sleep....

Answer 8

I enjoy my lighter winter mornings and my long Summer evenings. So I don't want it to change.

If the clocks didn't go back in winter, kids in the north of UK would be going to school in the dark as it is darker in the mornings and lighter in the evenings.
But I'm sure farmers would make the best of daylight regardless of what time it was.

Answer 9

It gives people chance to get to school / work in daylight. If we stayed on British summer time it would not get light in the morning until people were at school / work (assuming they start at about 9 am)

It's actually BST that gives you more light in the evenings in summer. Without it the evenings would be shorter. Obviously the amount of daylight in a day doesn't change but BST allows for daylight to last into the evening instead of sunset being 7pm or whatever.

Answer 10

I don't think it's due to farmers. They can get up at sunrise and go to bed at sunset regardless of what the clock says. In fact I had heard that they dislike Daylight Savings Time because it's still prime time for working in the field when the stores close.

It's business and factory people who work according to an artificial schedule that wanted it. It gives them time to get home and enjoy some daylight to play golf etc.