Tuesday, March 8, 2016

daylight saving time from Wikipedia

Daylight saving time (DST) or summer time is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that in the evening daylight is experienced an hour longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. Typically, regions with summer time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring and adjust them backward in the autumn to standard time.[1]
New Zealander George Hudson proposed the modern idea of daylight saving in 1895.[2] Germany and Austria-Hungary organized the first nationwide implementation, starting on 30 April 1916. Many countries have used it at various times since then, particularly since the energy crisis of the 1970s.
The practice has received both advocacy and criticism.[1] Putting clocks forward benefits retailing, sports, and other activities that exploit sunlight after working hours,[3] but can cause problems for evening entertainment and for other activities tied to sunlight, such as farming.[4][5] Although some early proponents of DST aimed to reduce evening use of incandescent lighting, which used to be a primary use of electricity,[6] modern heating and cooling usage patterns differ greatly and research about how DST affects energy use is limited or contradictory.[7]
DST clock shifts sometimes complicate timekeeping and can disrupt travel, billing, record keeping, medical devices, heavy equipment,[8] and sleep patterns.[9] Computer software can often adjust clocks automatically, but policy changes by various jurisdictions of the dates and timings of DST may be confusing.[10]

World map. Europe, most of North America, parts of southern South America and southeastern Australia, and a few other places use DST. Most of equatorial Africa and a few other places near the equator have never used DST. The rest of the landmass is marked as formerly using DST.
Although not used by the majority of the world's countries, daylight saving time is common in Europe and North America.
  DST used
  DST formerly used
  DST never used

Diagram of a clock showing a transition from 02:00 to 03:00
Clocks are advanced by one hour during the very early morning at the beginning of DST.
Diagram of a clock showing a transition from 03:00 to 02:00
When DST ends, clocks are set back (as if to repeat one hour) during the very early morning. Specific times vary by jurisdiction.

No comments:

Post a Comment