1. RRB PAGES 59-60 Local Time and Time Zones

2. Solar Noon and Time Zones Solar Noon: when the sun is at the highest point in the sky. This may not be the same time as actual noon Standard Time Zones: based on the rate at which the sun appears to move across the sky Each time zone is roughly centered on a line of longitude that is divisible by 15 degree (time meridian) There are 24 separate time zones

3. Local time: based on the rotation of the Earth. All places on the same north-south line (meridian) have the same local time. So, California is 3 hours behind us. The sunrises here around 7:20 am. If California was not 3 hours behind, the sun would rise there at 10:20 am.

5. Greenwich Mean Time and the International Date Line Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): 0 degrees longitude, as determined at a meeting, is the standard time. Most weather forecasters use GMT so as not to confuse time zones. International Date Line: The longitude at which the date changes

7. Regents-Type Question What would happen to the length of a day if the Earth’s rate of rotation decreased?