Question about USA time zones and how the states are split

[angelofwar]

It's easier to use the military time zones...east coast is in "quebec time zone" They go off "straight lines", minus a few areas where international time zones would be effected. That's why the US military uses Zulu and not GMT, because technically, GMT (essentially, as opposed to UTC) changes (British Spring Time???), where as Zulu does not. Spain is in time zone "alpha". They're split into 25 timezones...Juliet is not used, as it refers to whatever time the user is at (juliet=local).

 

[wykeite]

Zulu is the zone that contains the Greenwich meridian so is the same time as GMT. Both are nearly the same as UTC. (UTC is a bit quicker:tinfoil

British Summer Time is GMT +1.

 

[asdalton]

DST saves GJ of energy yearly due to reduced light and A/C use. Mother earth's natural cycle certainly appreciates that.

If anything, DST should make AC use higher due to shifting the hottest part of the day further into the evening hours when people are at home.

 

[KC2IXE]

London Time is NOT the same as GMT, and UTC - technically, you have to spec UTC or UTC1

UTC = Zulu. The MIlitary calls it Zulu for one big reason - it's a lot easier to say than UTC

GMT can be considered the same as UTC if fractions of a second are not important, and is generally used to avoid the confusion between UTC and UTC1 (which can technically differ by as much as .9 sec)

BTW, the difference between UTC and UTC1 is them keeping track of actual rotational speed of the earth - You know when you hear about a "leap second" - That's them syncing UTC back up to UTC1, to stay within the .9 sec window

In UTC, a minute can technically have 59, 60, or 61 seconds - most are 60, but every once in a while you get a minute with 60 (I think the standard is to only do it at midnight 1/1 and 7/1, but I'm not sure if they have ever done a 7/1

They have NEVER done a 59 second minute, but it's there, just in case the earth starts to spin faster

 

[wykeite]

Correct, London time (don't know who brought that one up) is not always GMT, it is at the moment but on Sunday will change to GMT +1 or UTC +1.

Zulu does not necessarily denote UTC, it's origins are about 40 years earlier.

UT1 is probably the standard which is the same time as GMT being updated with leap seconds from UTC as required.

I think I'll just stick to local time and my watch that might be out by a couple of minutes, sometimes it may be out more than the whole number of leap seconds in the next millenium:wave:.

 

[TorchBoy]

every once in a while you get a minute with 60

Get them all the time in this timezone.

But seriously, thanks for the explanation.

 

[LuxLuthor]

Nothing like sitting with a friend in lounge chairs and a cooler of beer, with my chair on the EST side of the zone line, and his on the CST. I can predict the future for him...."At 8:04pm, you will have had your 3rd beer." Totally freaks him out.

 

[angelofwar]

Nothing like sitting with a friend in lounge chairs and a cooler of beer, with my chair on the EST side of the zone line, and his on the CST. I can predict the future for him...."At 8:04pm, you will have had your 3rd beer." Totally freaks him out.

LOL! The might "Lux" speaks! LMAO! Good one!