How long is a day on Earth ?
Sounds like an easy question, doesn't it ? Naive? Even dumb? I can hear your inner voices crying out the answer to me.
'24 hours, you knucklehead!'
I hear you. And I can also hear a few studious minds spell out the answer in a tone that can only be called dull.
'23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds!'
That is the tone of a typical Robot. Boring !
Congratulations to those who answered. You can pass fifth grade without breaking a sweet(No offense intended here). But, let me also add that books that taught you these answers have corrupted your minds and imagination. And by books, I only mean the bad ones that instead of fueling your creativity puts it out. So let us throw such sloppy books and their schlocky ramblings out of our minds and lives to embark on a travel that men have only dreamed off.
Time is an intriguing concept. It is the only measure that is also a perspective. Perhaps that is the reason why life is measured in terms of time.
Before big bang, Time did not exist and after Apocalypse, it will cease to. In the meantime, men have been tasked to conquer it and they have tried. Time travel has been on the bucket list of men ever since they started walking on twos. But so far, it has eluded them. In that sense, time is not so different from God.
What is a day ? Retorting to an answer taught in lower class Geography, it is the time taken by our dear Earth to rotate about itself completely. They you have the solar day, the stellar day and so on. This definition, with all due respects to it, is for the learned who understands axes, longitudes, latitudes and rotations. What about a layman who is blissfully ignorant to the intricacies of science ? For him, a day is simply the time between two sun-ups. And for all practical purposes, I would agree on the same.
So, does this new definition change the answer to the question, how long is a day on Earth?
Assume, you are witnessing the sunrise at about 6.00 AM on a fine Sunday morning from the eastern tip of the World. Then, you take a twenty-four hour(a really long and slow) flight to the western tip of the World. What will you be seeing there when you land ?
The same sunrise you witnessed 24 hours ago. It would still be 6.00 A.M in the morning on a fine and long Sunday morning. This is one Sunday you will never forget. It was forty-eight hours long for you. So now tell me, how long is a day on Earth ?
By crossing time zones, you are said to gain or lose time. In truth, you are doing something much more exotic. You are travelling through time. In that process, you lengthen or shorten your day. And if you are adventurous and if you can afford it, you can enjoy a forty-eight hour Sunday.
Assume, you are witnessing the sunrise at about 6.00 AM on a Sunday morning from the eastern tip of the World. Enjoy your day like there is no tomorrow. And when the clock inches towards six on Monday morning, take one step further east. You have traveled back to yesterday. And there is no tomorrow.
One small step of a man, one giant leap for mankind !
'24 hours, you knucklehead!'
I hear you. And I can also hear a few studious minds spell out the answer in a tone that can only be called dull.
'23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds!'
That is the tone of a typical Robot. Boring !
Congratulations to those who answered. You can pass fifth grade without breaking a sweet(No offense intended here). But, let me also add that books that taught you these answers have corrupted your minds and imagination. And by books, I only mean the bad ones that instead of fueling your creativity puts it out. So let us throw such sloppy books and their schlocky ramblings out of our minds and lives to embark on a travel that men have only dreamed off.
Time is an intriguing concept. It is the only measure that is also a perspective. Perhaps that is the reason why life is measured in terms of time.
Before big bang, Time did not exist and after Apocalypse, it will cease to. In the meantime, men have been tasked to conquer it and they have tried. Time travel has been on the bucket list of men ever since they started walking on twos. But so far, it has eluded them. In that sense, time is not so different from God.
What is a day ? Retorting to an answer taught in lower class Geography, it is the time taken by our dear Earth to rotate about itself completely. They you have the solar day, the stellar day and so on. This definition, with all due respects to it, is for the learned who understands axes, longitudes, latitudes and rotations. What about a layman who is blissfully ignorant to the intricacies of science ? For him, a day is simply the time between two sun-ups. And for all practical purposes, I would agree on the same.
So, does this new definition change the answer to the question, how long is a day on Earth?
Assume, you are witnessing the sunrise at about 6.00 AM on a fine Sunday morning from the eastern tip of the World. Then, you take a twenty-four hour(a really long and slow) flight to the western tip of the World. What will you be seeing there when you land ?
The same sunrise you witnessed 24 hours ago. It would still be 6.00 A.M in the morning on a fine and long Sunday morning. This is one Sunday you will never forget. It was forty-eight hours long for you. So now tell me, how long is a day on Earth ?
By crossing time zones, you are said to gain or lose time. In truth, you are doing something much more exotic. You are travelling through time. In that process, you lengthen or shorten your day. And if you are adventurous and if you can afford it, you can enjoy a forty-eight hour Sunday.
But, if you cannot afford it, there is a cheaper option. A witty one too.
Assume, you are witnessing the sunrise at about 6.00 AM on a Sunday morning from the eastern tip of the World. Enjoy your day like there is no tomorrow. And when the clock inches towards six on Monday morning, take one step further east. You have traveled back to yesterday. And there is no tomorrow.
One small step of a man, one giant leap for mankind !
Choose the way you want to travel through time !
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