Daylight Saving Time Research Paper
Time: Elimination of Daylight Saving Time What is Daylight Saving Time (DST) and where did the idea of altering our time twice a year come from? Should we join the rest of the world with the elimination of Daylight Saving Time? I believe it would be beneficial to do so. To gain a better understanding of Daylight Saving Time, we must first understand the origin of Daylight Saving Time and the general principles of time it self - Where does time begin? Does time have an end? Current uses of time: UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), Zulu Time, GMT (Greenwich meantime), and the various time zones of the United Stated and its Territories. They’re maybe some resistance from Central California, the Midwest, and Florida. These states are heavy agricultural
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states and appreciate the time shift in the spring. However, I don’t believe Daylight Saving Time is necessary in present day. To gain a better understanding of Daylight Saving Time we must start at the beginning, Time in self! Albert Einstein’s “General Theory of Relativity” asserts time is the perception of light manipulated by magnetic or gravitational fields providing force or movement. In our case, the gravitational field is a combination of the Sun, Earth, and our Moon. In which the Earth makes one (1) complete revolution in a twenty-four (24) hour period, and the Sun our source of light providing our day cycle. There is proven scientific information pertaining to the general function of time “Behavior of Clocks and Measuring-rods on a Rotating Body of Reference” (Einstein 79). (i.e. How centrifugal force alters the mechanics of time.) So why would we make further alterations to time? Some believe Time Travel to be a possibility, in theory, yes, but practically feasible, I think not. Although, we do travel forward and back in time twice a year by adjusting our clocks, the world around us makes the same adjustments therefore nullifying the effect.
This leads to the discussion of time zones and how the standards have changed over the years. Originally the standard for time was Greenwich meantime (GMT), “established in 1884 at the International Meridian Conference, when it was decided to place the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, England. GMT is an absolute time reference and doesn't change with the seasons”(Abbot par. 6). Then came UTC or Zulu Time, and is the standard today, according to UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), Zulu time is the time at longitude 0 degrees 0 minutes, where the time starts in West Africa - Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (Burkina) at “0000:00” or 12:00AM. Zulu time is currently used by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) satellites and Maritime navigators. Here in the United States, we are divided by four (4) basic time zones: Eastern Standard Time (EST), Central Standard Time (CST), Mountain Standard Time (MST), and Pacific Standard Time (PST). For a complete reference:
PDT = Pacific Daylight Time; PST = Pacific Standard Time; MDT = Mountain Daylight Time; MST = Mountain Standard Time; CDT = Central Daylight Time; CST = Central Standard Time; EDT = Eastern Daylight Time; EST = Eastern Standard Time; AKDT = Alaska Daylight Time; AKST = Alaska Standard Time; HADT = Hawaii-Aleutian Daylight Time; HAST = Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time; HST = Hawaii Standard Time
This leads us to the main topic of Daylight Saving Time (DST), The clock moves ahead in the spring when DST starts, and falls back one hour when Daylight Saving Time ends in the fall.
To remember which way the clock goes, keep in mind one of these sayings: “spring forward, fall back” or “spring ahead, fall behind.” "The idea of daylight saving time was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 during his stay in Paris" (Thorsen par. 2). Although the idea of Daylight Saving Time began with Benjamin Franklin, “The conception of Daylight Saving Time was mainly credited to an English builder, William Willett in 1905, when he presented the idea to advance the clock during the summer months” (Thorsen par. 6). An hour forward and backward twice a year was not the original standard as it is today. And, when Daylight Saving Time starts depends on which hemisphere you reside:
Many countries in the northern hemisphere observe Daylight Saving Time, but not all. Daylight saving time begins in the northern hemisphere between March–April and ends between September–November. Standard time begins in the northern hemisphere between September–November and ends between March–April. While in the southern hemisphere Daylight Saving Time begins between September–November and ends between March–April. Standard time begins in the southern hemisphere between March–April and ends between
September–November.
Originally Daylight Saving Time had variations: 20, 30, and 40 minutes, to a full two (2) hours during the 1940’s. “From February 3, 1942 to September 30, 1945 most of the United States had Daylight Saving Time all year; it was called “War Time.” (Thorsen par. 7). Today it is almost always one (1) hour ahead, and one (1) hour back to Standard Time. This brings us to the debate: Why move our clocks forward in the first place?
Many countries observe Daylight Saving Time, and many do not. Many countries use Daylight Saving Time to make better use of the daylight in the evenings. Many people believe that Daylight Saving Time could be linked to fewer road accidents and injuries. The extra hour of daylight in the evening is said to give children more social time and can boost the tourism industry because it increases the amount of outdoor activities.
Daylight Saving Time is also used to save energy and reduce artificial light needed during the evening hours — clocks are set one hour ahead during the spring, and one hour back to standard time in the autumn. However, many studies disagree about Daylight Saving Time's energy Saving and while some studies show a positive outcome, others do not.
It is difficult to predict what will happen with Daylight Saving Time in the future. The daylight saving date in many countries may change from time to time due to special events or conditions. The United States, Canada and some other countries extended Daylight Saving Time in 2007. The new start date is the second Sunday in March (previously the first Sunday in April) through to the first Sunday in November (previously the last Sunday in October).
I believe we should eliminate Daylight Saving Time in effort to synchronize ourselves with the majority of the world. Who are we to manipulate time in the first place? Who makes the decision to change time? Daylight Saving Time plays havoc of Atomic Time keeping devices, Computers, and Human Beings. Atomic clocks have issues with daylight saving time because the systems that send the signal are UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) or Zulu Time. As for computers, there are issues with log files, automated backup systems and scripts that run on an hourly basis. Not to mention having to change all the time keeping devices in your house, work and vehicles. And when it comes to human beings, it takes some a full week to adjust, while most others, just 24 hours. Another thing to mention is the loss of productivity at the workplace. With a shift in time many people will show signs similar to that of jet-lag, the simple solution is not to adjust the time in the first place. I have covered a lot a ground on the subject of Time, Time Zones, and Daylight Saving Time. I have also contradicted those who believe Daylight Saving Time to be a necessity, where as in present day is simply not true. Children of the house don’t need additional daylight to do the chores and tend the crops. The crops are genetically modified and harvested by automated harvesters using global positioning system satellites. Our computers, clocks and appliances would never require frivolous adjusting. The majority of the world does not practice Daylight Saving Time, and I believe its time for us to get on board.
Works Cited
Abbot, Sydney & Olive. What is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)?.
2013. Web. 21 June 2103. .
Einstein, Albert. Relativity. New York, N.Y: Crown Publishers, Inc. MCMLXI Print
May, Willie E. The Official US Time. 2013. Web. 21 June 2103. < http://www.time.gov/>
Thorsen, Steffen. timeanddate.
2013. Web. 21 June 2103. < http://www.timeanddate.com/> “TIME ZONES and CONTAINED REGIONS/AREAS”. WorldTimeZone. n.p. Web. 21 June 2103.
states and appreciate the time shift in the spring. However, I don’t believe Daylight Saving Time is necessary in present day. To gain a better understanding of Daylight Saving Time we must start at the beginning, Time in self! Albert Einstein’s “General Theory of Relativity” asserts time is the perception of light manipulated by magnetic or gravitational fields providing force or movement. In our case, the gravitational field is a combination of the Sun, Earth, and our Moon. In which the Earth makes one (1) complete revolution in a twenty-four (24) hour period, and the Sun our source of light providing our day cycle. There is proven scientific information pertaining to the general function of time “Behavior of Clocks and Measuring-rods on a Rotating Body of Reference” (Einstein 79). (i.e. How centrifugal force alters the mechanics of time.) So why would we make further alterations to time? Some believe Time Travel to be a possibility, in theory, yes, but practically feasible, I think not. Although, we do travel forward and back in time twice a year by adjusting our clocks, the world around us makes the same adjustments therefore nullifying the effect.
This leads to the discussion of time zones and how the standards have changed over the years. Originally the standard for time was Greenwich meantime (GMT), “established in 1884 at the International Meridian Conference, when it was decided to place the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, England. GMT is an absolute time reference and doesn't change with the seasons”(Abbot par. 6). Then came UTC or Zulu Time, and is the standard today, according to UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), Zulu time is the time at longitude 0 degrees 0 minutes, where the time starts in West Africa - Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (Burkina) at “0000:00” or 12:00AM. Zulu time is currently used by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) satellites and Maritime navigators. Here in the United States, we are divided by four (4) basic time zones: Eastern Standard Time (EST), Central Standard Time (CST), Mountain Standard Time (MST), and Pacific Standard Time (PST). For a complete reference:
PDT = Pacific Daylight Time; PST = Pacific Standard Time; MDT = Mountain Daylight Time; MST = Mountain Standard Time; CDT = Central Daylight Time; CST = Central Standard Time; EDT = Eastern Daylight Time; EST = Eastern Standard Time; AKDT = Alaska Daylight Time; AKST = Alaska Standard Time; HADT = Hawaii-Aleutian Daylight Time; HAST = Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time; HST = Hawaii Standard Time
This leads us to the main topic of Daylight Saving Time (DST), The clock moves ahead in the spring when DST starts, and falls back one hour when Daylight Saving Time ends in the fall.
To remember which way the clock goes, keep in mind one of these sayings: “spring forward, fall back” or “spring ahead, fall behind.” "The idea of daylight saving time was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 during his stay in Paris" (Thorsen par. 2). Although the idea of Daylight Saving Time began with Benjamin Franklin, “The conception of Daylight Saving Time was mainly credited to an English builder, William Willett in 1905, when he presented the idea to advance the clock during the summer months” (Thorsen par. 6). An hour forward and backward twice a year was not the original standard as it is today. And, when Daylight Saving Time starts depends on which hemisphere you reside:
Many countries in the northern hemisphere observe Daylight Saving Time, but not all. Daylight saving time begins in the northern hemisphere between March–April and ends between September–November. Standard time begins in the northern hemisphere between September–November and ends between March–April. While in the southern hemisphere Daylight Saving Time begins between September–November and ends between March–April. Standard time begins in the southern hemisphere between March–April and ends between
September–November.
Originally Daylight Saving Time had variations: 20, 30, and 40 minutes, to a full two (2) hours during the 1940’s. “From February 3, 1942 to September 30, 1945 most of the United States had Daylight Saving Time all year; it was called “War Time.” (Thorsen par. 7). Today it is almost always one (1) hour ahead, and one (1) hour back to Standard Time. This brings us to the debate: Why move our clocks forward in the first place?
Many countries observe Daylight Saving Time, and many do not. Many countries use Daylight Saving Time to make better use of the daylight in the evenings. Many people believe that Daylight Saving Time could be linked to fewer road accidents and injuries. The extra hour of daylight in the evening is said to give children more social time and can boost the tourism industry because it increases the amount of outdoor activities.
Daylight Saving Time is also used to save energy and reduce artificial light needed during the evening hours — clocks are set one hour ahead during the spring, and one hour back to standard time in the autumn. However, many studies disagree about Daylight Saving Time's energy Saving and while some studies show a positive outcome, others do not.
It is difficult to predict what will happen with Daylight Saving Time in the future. The daylight saving date in many countries may change from time to time due to special events or conditions. The United States, Canada and some other countries extended Daylight Saving Time in 2007. The new start date is the second Sunday in March (previously the first Sunday in April) through to the first Sunday in November (previously the last Sunday in October).
I believe we should eliminate Daylight Saving Time in effort to synchronize ourselves with the majority of the world. Who are we to manipulate time in the first place? Who makes the decision to change time? Daylight Saving Time plays havoc of Atomic Time keeping devices, Computers, and Human Beings. Atomic clocks have issues with daylight saving time because the systems that send the signal are UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) or Zulu Time. As for computers, there are issues with log files, automated backup systems and scripts that run on an hourly basis. Not to mention having to change all the time keeping devices in your house, work and vehicles. And when it comes to human beings, it takes some a full week to adjust, while most others, just 24 hours. Another thing to mention is the loss of productivity at the workplace. With a shift in time many people will show signs similar to that of jet-lag, the simple solution is not to adjust the time in the first place. I have covered a lot a ground on the subject of Time, Time Zones, and Daylight Saving Time. I have also contradicted those who believe Daylight Saving Time to be a necessity, where as in present day is simply not true. Children of the house don’t need additional daylight to do the chores and tend the crops. The crops are genetically modified and harvested by automated harvesters using global positioning system satellites. Our computers, clocks and appliances would never require frivolous adjusting. The majority of the world does not practice Daylight Saving Time, and I believe its time for us to get on board.
Works Cited
Abbot, Sydney & Olive. What is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)?.
2013. Web. 21 June 2103. .
Einstein, Albert. Relativity. New York, N.Y: Crown Publishers, Inc. MCMLXI Print
May, Willie E. The Official US Time. 2013. Web. 21 June 2103. < http://www.time.gov/>
Thorsen, Steffen. timeanddate.
2013. Web. 21 June 2103. < http://www.timeanddate.com/> “TIME ZONES and CONTAINED REGIONS/AREAS”. WorldTimeZone. n.p. Web. 21 June 2103.