Time zones

[sigma]

I assume that the time zones converge at the poles. If so, what time zone do they use at the poles.

[chakka35]

Since no-one lives at the exact poles I don't supposed anybody's bothered. But since both poles are on the Greenwich meridian GMT would be sensible.

Even a few feet away from a pole you are in one particular time-zone or other.

[jomifl]

what an excellent question, I wish I could answer it.

[jomifl]

The poles are on every merdian though. As the poles are infinitely small anybody standing on it would overlap onto other time zones. they would have to decide which time zone they overlap most and use that one.

[scotman]

Perhaps time ceases to exist at the poles

[jomifl]

Time may well cease to exist in an infinitely small point..discuss

[Buenchico]

To be pedantic, they almost certainly use UTC at the North Pole, since that's the international scientific standard anyway. However, unless fractions of a second are important, UTC and GMT can be considered to be the same anyway:
http://en.wikipedia.o...inated_Universal_Time

Chris

[New Judge]

I would suggest that time does not cease to exist at the poles or any other infinitely small point. (let's not get started about Black Holes and relativity and all that as it is not relevant here).

In relation to the specific question, the meridians are only used as a method of measurement of time on the earth. They are used to relate our clocks to the rotation of the earth in a convenient way because we “tell the time” by the position of the sun in the sky as the earth rotates.

However, at the poles, our clock time is still the same as at the equator and to which point on the equator (or anywhere else) you relate your clock is largely irrelevant. There are still (roughly) 24 hours in a day and still (roughly) 365 days in a year. It’s just that the sun does not rise and set in the “traditional” manner when you travel beyond the Arctic or Antarctic Circles. But time still passes just the same.

[jno]

the further you are from the equator the more diurnal variation you get. You go from 12 hours of light to 6 months of light. So whether you'd actually need to know what 'time' it was if you lived at the North Pole is hard to say. You'd probably just go by your body clock and eat/sleep when you felt like it.

[sigma]

OK, imagine this scenario. A research station at the South Pole is expecting a delivery of supplies. The plane leaves Tierro del Feugo at 0900hrs local time. The flight is 5 hours. At what time in the Antarctic will the plane arrive.

[Buenchico]

Argentina doesn't use daylight saving time so, irrespective of the time of year, clocks in Tierra del Fuego are always 3 hours behind UTC.

As far as the research team at the South Pole is concerned, the plane takes off at 1200 UTC, and is expected to arrive at 1700 UTC.

[jomifl]

time only exists as a component of the space/time continuum, at an infinitely small point there can be no space, therefore no time.

[jomifl]

you would also need an infinitely small plane