Program Information

NASA Kids Science News segment explaining time zones and how they work.

NASA Kids Science News Network™ is a news-style standards-based program that uses the Web, animation, and video to introduce science, technology, engineering, math, and NASA concepts. NASA's KSNN™ uses animated characters (grades K-2) and Web and video technology (grades 3-5) to explain everyday phenomena of our world, correct misconceptions, and answer frequently asked questions.

Transcript

Hi, I'm Jared with more
KSNN math news you can use.

Did you know the Earth
has 24 different time zones?

I know the Earth's day
is 24 hours long.

Is that why we have
24 zones of time?

(Jared)
Yes, the Earth is a sphere.

It is divided into 360 degrees
with longitude lines.

I remember those lines
are drawn north to south.

(Jared)
The Earth turns 360 degrees
in 24 hours.

If you divide 360 degrees
by 24 hours,
it means the Earth turns
15 degrees in one hour.

So time zones are
15 degrees wide.

And that's why we have
24 time zones.

A long time ago,
cities set their time
by the Sun's location at noon.

Two cities a few degrees apart
would still have
a different time.

Today these cities are
in the same time zone.

To learn more,
visit our website.

Until next time, I'm Jared
with cool math news you can use.

Virginia Standards