Why do we need to turn back the clocks?
964540
Everyone i have read is WRONG, so far...\n\nThe clocks move the accommodate the farmers... not that townies think much of them.\n\nA farmer has to be able to work in largely daylight to see... and without the clock changed their days would get more difficult as the seasons progress as most dairy farmers have to be awake and working at 5-6am.\n\nSo thats why...\n\nIn a nutshell its to help farmers.
880285
The main purpose of Daylight Saving Time (called "Summer Time" in many places in the world) is to make better use of daylight. We change our clocks during the summer months to move an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. \n\nA poll conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation indicated that Americans liked Daylight Saving Time because "there is more light in the evenings / can do more in the evenings."  Some say that the primary reason that Daylight Saving Time is a part of many societies is simply because people like to enjoy long summer evenings, and that reasons such as energy conservation are merely rationalizations.\n\nHowever, Daylight Saving Time does save energy. Studies done by the U.S. Department of Transportation show that Daylight Saving Time trims the entire country's electricity usage by a small but significant amount, about one percent each day, because less electricity is used for lighting and appliances. \n\nIn the winter, the afternoon Daylight Saving Time advantage is offset for many people and businesses by the morning's need for more lighting. In spring and fall, the advantage is generally less than one hour. So, Daylight Saving Time saves energy for lighting in all seasons of the year, but it saves least during the four darkest months of winter (November, December, January, and February), when the afternoon advantage is offset by the need for lighting because of late sunrise.\n\nIn addition, less electricity is used because people are home fewer hours during the "longer" days of spring and summer. Most people plan outdoor activities in the extra daylight hours. When people are not at home, they don't turn on the appliances and lights.\n\nThere is a public health benefit to Daylight Saving Time, as it decreases traffic accidents. Several studies in the U.S. and Great Britain have found that the DST daylight shift reduces net traffic accidents and fatalities by close to one percent. An increase in accidents in the dark mornings is more than offset by the evening decrease in accidents.
781583
The main reason we have daylight savings time is to make better use of the daylight.  At most places in the world, the amount of sunlight in each day varies depending upon the seasons.  \n\nIf we did not have daylight savings time, at some points during the summer, the sun would be rising at 5:30 in the morning.\n\nThis website has a very detailed description of daylight savings time.\n\nhttp://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/index.html\n\nHope it helps!
322498
cause clocks are stupid and they dont know how to count
1013355
Nothing in my life needs to be exactly on the second. If clocks differ a minute or two, I don't care.  When I go somewhere I allways go early not to arrive late. The seconds doesn't really matter to me much.
324891
No one really sets the dates. Daylight Saving Time begins for most of the United States at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of April. Time reverts to standard time at 2:00 a.m. on the last Sunday of October. In the U.S., each time zone switches at a different time.\n This is intended to provide a better match between the hours of daylight and the active hours of work and school. The "saved" daylight is spent on evening activities which get more daylight, rather than being "wasted" while people sleep past dawn.
1065372
Because of the location that you live in. If you lived in Britain the times would be from 9.00am to 3.00 pm
429931
The answer is all geography, baby. Most countries instilled DST in order to give the illusion of an extra hour of daylight for farmers. Also taken into consideration is the normal business hours in a country's work day. Since each country has a different professional culture, each country has different DST standards to meet the needs of the average worker. A handful of countries go back in order to give people more light earlier in the morning and another handful of nations don't even have a DST standard. Just kidding, I made all this up. It's most likely true though so I'll let you stroke my hair if you want. (Just for you) Look! A link!!! >>>>>>>>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time
105862
I don't see how they can do away with them. It is a fact that the time is not running exactly to the second every year. If they did away with them they would eventually have to adjust something or atomic time would be different then local time.
913486
Actually a good many countries around the world use the 24 hour clock system. Then there isn't a need to say AM or PM, you know whether its day or night. Also the military begins attacks, movements and such on Greenwich mean time, its a town in Britain. And its used so everyone that aware of an operation knows what time it begins regardless of what part of the world they are in.
476278
I've never found that, but I have found that at Daylight Savings Time, it will change.  It doesn't even sound plausible, but it always works like that. I'm really not sure why, but my mom and best friend have the same problem.  Who knows.
1218
nothing to do with daylight savings. Daylight savings is a human invention, not a natural phenomenon.\n\n...because leap seconds are not being added to compensate for the Earth's rotation slowing down.\n\nThe amount of time it takes for the earth to revolve around the sun is 365.2425 days.\n\nEven that is an approximation, the decimal digits can keep going on.\n\nSo initially, the calendar was divided evenly in 365 days. But about every 4 years, you'd be off 1 day. A century later, you've drifted off by a whole month!\n\nSo, leap years came into effect. Febuary has another day every 4 years. \n\nBut now you've approximated a year to 365.25 days, when in reality, its 365.2425 days.\n\nEvery century, you'll be off 1 day.\n\nSo that's where the next rule comes into play: "If the year is divisible by 4, but not by 100, its a leap year."\n\nNow we've approximated it to 365.2425, but because its always going to be an approximation, our calendar days are always slipping. All because the earth doesn't take exactly 365 days to go around the sun.\n\nThis is why leap seconds are added, and not to account for the slowdown of the earth's rotation.\n\nAs to why days are divided in exactly 24 hours, I'm not sure. But I would think the time difference is WAY less than 20 minutes, or we'd notice that soon enough, its dark at noon! :)  Time was divided a long time ago, and a simple system was sought for keeping track of it, so the minuts/hour/year thing is a nice division thats easy to do math with. The lost time, if its accounted for by leap years and such, could be easier to manage.\n\nFirst, I never said the earth is not slowing down. I said its not why leap seconds exist. And ok, I can entertain my explanation may be wrong, but that's no reason for your condescending tone, Jolly Roger. But look, your link brings me to a christian science evanglism site, where is the evidence that my answer is incorrect? \n\nYou haven't bothered to explain his original question. If leapseconds account for the slowdown of the earth's rotation, why are there leap seconds and not leap milliseconds?\n\nIf you want to append to your answer, at least try to do so while respecting the other users on this site, and not insult their intelligence.\n\nThis has piqued my curiosity, if there's anyone out there that has a source that says my explanation is incorrect, I mean an actual science website, you know, one that steers clear of religion, please let me know.
406985
Its to make more evening time ( time before lights on ) available to office workers. In UK they even had double-DST during wwII
213694
Daylight saving time or daylight savings time (DST) is a widely used system of adjusting the official local time forward, usually one hour from its official standard time for the duration of the spring and summer months. This is intended to provide a better match between the hours of daylight and the active hours of work and school. The "savings" are spent on evening activities which get more daylight, rather than being "wasted" while people sleep past dawn.\n\nDST is most commonly used in temperate regions, due to the considerable variation in the amount of daylight versus darkness across the seasons in those regions.\n\nGovernments often tout it as an energy conservation measure, on the grounds that it allows more effecive use of natural sunlight resource in summer time. (People go to bed and wake up earlier, which reduces use of electric lights.) Some opponents reject this argument (see below, Criticism).\n\nEuropeans commonly refer to the system as summer time: Irish Summer Time, British Summer Time, and European Summer Time. This is reflected in the time zones names as well, e.g. Central European Time (CET) becomes Central European Summer Time (CEST).\n\nNote that the term commonly used in the United States, daylight savings time, has been criticized by some commentators as being incorrect, for both historic (the name as provided by the act which inaugurated it in the United States is daylight saving time) and grammatical reasons.
247552
sunset to sunset was in the old west. we have clocks now so its midnight to midnight.
891626
According to this answer, due to the gears before digital alarm clocks were available!
884472
Yes actually. When Ben Franklin was arguing with the Creator about his roll in the daily lives of men, he had to excuse himself because of an appointment. That lead to a discussion of time and time keeping, and God said he was partial to the old system where daylight was divided into twelve hours and so was the dark. Anyhow eventually the Lord suggested daylight savings time as a compromise.