Question 5
(a) Highlight four characteristics each of the following:
(i) Time Zone;
(ii) International Dateline.
(b) If two towns A and B are located on different time zones and the time in town A is 9.00 am while the time in town B is 6.00 pm the same day, calculate the longitude of town B if the longitude of town A is 300 W.
This question was also popular among the candidates and quite a good number of those who answered the question were able to highlight some characteristics of Time Zone and International Dateline. However, a significant number of them had challenges calculating the longitude of a town B when the time of town A was given. The candidates were expected to answer thus:
- (i)characteristics of Time Zone
- group of places intosimilar time characteristics based on longitudes
-places within the same longitude are places in the same time zone
-adopts a uniform time zone
-areas with large latitudinal stretch could have more than one time zones
-the world is grouped into 24-hour time zones
-the time of places east of the meridian is ahead of the time west of the meridian
(ii)International Date Line
-it is the 180 meridian
- an imaginary line
-the longitude which marks the difference in the day/time
- a day isgain when it is crossed to the east
-a day is lost when it is crossed to the west
-It joins the Meridian to form a Great Circle
- Calculation of Longitude of town B
-Longitude of town A=30⁰W
-Time in town A=9.00am
-Time in Town B=6.00pm
-Longitude of Town B=
-15⁰ of longitude is = 1 hour=1 mark
-Difference in time between town A and B is 9.00am and 6.00pm=9.00 hours=2 marks
-Difference in Longitude=9 hours x 15⁰=135=1 mark
-Time of town B is 6.00pm which is ahead of Town A
-Therefore Town B is to the east of town A
-Longitude of town B=30⁰w-135⁰=105 ⁰E