Brain Teasers
Confusion Abounded
Before I came, confusion abounded.
I'm late, I'm late was frequently sounded.
I'm not average, but was based on a mean.
My size, in theory, is constant: fifteen.
I'm two dozen steps, again in theory.
But walk my length and you'd get weary.
I take half and quarter steps at times.
In reality, I don't follow the lines.
I shrink to nothing in two cold extremes.
Over a thousand miles wide in the betweens.
What am I?
I'm late, I'm late was frequently sounded.
I'm not average, but was based on a mean.
My size, in theory, is constant: fifteen.
I'm two dozen steps, again in theory.
But walk my length and you'd get weary.
I take half and quarter steps at times.
In reality, I don't follow the lines.
I shrink to nothing in two cold extremes.
Over a thousand miles wide in the betweens.
What am I?
Hint
A Canadian proposal, a fix,Proposed to the world in 1876.
Eventually it was adopted in time,
In most major countries by 1929.
Answer
Time zones.Before the invention of standard time zones, each city or region could have its own local time. This became increasingly awkward as railways and telecommunications improved.
Originally, time zones based their time on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Mean solar time is defined by the rotation of the Earth, which is not constant in rate. Starting January 1, 1972, a new system was used, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which used a fixed rate and added leap seconds when necessary to compensate for variations in the rotation of the Earth.
In theory, there are 24 time zones, making each a constant 15 degrees of longitude apart. A time zone varies in width from zero miles at both poles to over 1000 miles at the equator.
In reality, there are about 40 time zones, and the border between time zones is irregular, following political or geographical boundaries. The island of Newfoundland, India, and parts of Australia use half-hour deviations from standard time, and some nations use quarter-hour deviations.
Canada's Sir Sandford Fleming first proposed time zones for the entire world in 1876. Most major countries had adopted hourly time zones by 1929.
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Comments
Loved it.
Very informative.
I second both the above comments.
In my opinion (not that it's worth much, hehe) this was a perfect teaser. Two thumbs up!
Good one Marc! And it's right up there in popularity right now!
Cleverly written--I concluded it had to be something with longitude and time, but didn't zero in on it exactly. The explanation is a good teaching tool. Good job.
So logical that I didn't get it.
Enjoyable and I learned something new, even @ my age.
good Job.
Enjoyable and I learned something new, even @ my age.
good Job.
That was pretty complicated...but also very informative. After the first two lines I thought: alarm clock. But then the rest didn't work with that answer...finally I just gave up...but that's just because I'm lazy...this was an excellent teaser!!
There's always time for a good teaser.
This time you really aced it. Great teaser, which I did get, YAH! Nice work
Great teaser. Well written. Fun facts.
Jun 30, 2006
Hats Off! A Great one!
HA HA, OldChinaHand! btw, is your hand made of china, or are you a Chinese Farmhand, or what?
Anyway, I kinda got it, I thought it must be 'Greenwich mean time" or something like that, I didn't think of times zones in general. I liked the answer, which makes learning fun! heheheh (ok mr rogers) Thanks!
Anyway, I kinda got it, I thought it must be 'Greenwich mean time" or something like that, I didn't think of times zones in general. I liked the answer, which makes learning fun! heheheh (ok mr rogers) Thanks!
Didn't have a clue till the last 2 lines, that is when i finally figured it out.
That was a tough one, bet not a lot of people got it?
John
That was a tough one, bet not a lot of people got it?
John
Definite food for thought in a timely fashion
Karyn
Karyn
That was a great one!
I looked at it after watching
"So You Think You Can Dance," so I could not get some sort of dance out of my head. Anyway, thanks for the explanation at the end. That made it really fun to do.
Best one yet!
I looked at it after watching
"So You Think You Can Dance," so I could not get some sort of dance out of my head. Anyway, thanks for the explanation at the end. That made it really fun to do.
Best one yet!
This is an EXCELLENT teaser! Nice!
Not much I can add to what has already been said. Super great teaser.
Good one. I got the answer after the hint.
I "figured out" LATITUDE and felt very proud of myself. Of course I meant LONGITUDE ...and I didn't really get it right.
Clever! :-)
Great one! I'd have never gotten it, but it was good!
Because of the counted steps, I was thinking a degree of longitude ... close & related, but NO CEEEEGAR!
Thanks for all the extra info in the answer. (Will this be on The Test? :wink
Thanks for all the extra info in the answer. (Will this be on The Test? :wink
I had the time angle figured until I read the hints...I must stop that... then I thought of navigational devices and chronometers, even the 'rose line'...day light savings and finally back time zones. Good mental work out...thanks.
Super Teaser: Didn't have a clue. Good Job to the Canadians.
At first I though latitude line for navigation, etc. This was a great teaser!
infomative, correct, and fun. Great Job!!
It was pretty easy, but very well written. I enjoyed this very much.
Well, I have to say that this one was FUN, but I was totally of track. Like, I was thinking of the Sahara Desert! But, at the end, I got the answer without looking!
Nice job
wowie... that was tough... it was confusing for me but that's prolly cuz i knew nothing about this subject. so very informative and nicely written!
Quite a professionally worded teaser! And a fantastically awesome learning tool for the schools, too. It could help youngsters to understand the times, in a yet rhyming manner. And, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Keep up the superb work.
i gest the world... close enuf, ryt?
good job!
good job!
Did not get it But it was very informative, Nice job
Your title pretty much covered it for me. I thought it might have something to do with time, but didn't come close to getting it. Rereading the clues, it was so obvious, so I'm chagrined.
Still, this was one of the most delightful ridddles I've read yet. Outstanding!
Still, this was one of the most delightful ridddles I've read yet. Outstanding!
That was great. Good learning info
too much thinking. my head hurts on the up side, it was a great teaser
First I thought time, then Greenwich Mean time..but never connected to time zones. Great teaser.
Good teaser. I got hung up on the International Date Line, but at least I was on the right track.
Hmm. I think I've heard this one before...I liked this one. I thought it was some form of equatorial circumference at first, but then I realized with the 24 it must be related to time zones. Lots of interesting information in that answer. Well done.
Very cute.
Thought it might be DST, but figured it out without looking! THX
very intellegent Much thought in this one I like it.
Great one, fun and informative - perfect!
Could figure out that this related to rotation of earth, difference in time, etc., but couldn't zero on to Time Zones!
The details given about time zones are excellent education material for those from countries where no time zones are observed. A super teaser! Thanks for all the information.
The details given about time zones are excellent education material for those from countries where no time zones are observed. A super teaser! Thanks for all the information.
One of my favorites perfectly put together, got it but it took a bit
thanks for the facts even though i knew them
Excellent teaser. Loved it. I had absolutely no idea
This was the very best teaser this year. Beat my brain up,and I didn't solve it.Congrats to the writer.
I got it!! I got it!! and without the hint!! I don't usually get riddles at all, so this is exciting for me! I needed the last two lines for it to all come together. What a perfectly well-written riddle!!! Congrats to both of us!
I had an idea but needed the hint. Great teaser and well written!
I really enjoyed this. Especially the explanation. I learned something today. Thanks!!
This is a good teaser, actually I had no idea or clue even having read the Hint. But, Mark do you think before the invention of Time Zones, people thought of lateness as you have related lateness abound by time zones? Perhaps time itself, but time zones this is still a good teaser and I rated it as such.
Very good teaser, really good explanation. I was close, but didn't get it even with the hint.
Very good riddle! I really appreciate the in-depth explanation!
I enjoyed this one,I did'nt figure it out but I learnrd something new
Very well written and informative. Not to easy ..... just right
Loved it!!!!
I am not telling what I thought it was. It is too silly, but it made me laugh when I saw the answer compared to mine!
Really fun!! Got bits and pieces as I went along-good workout & interesting!! Thanks!!
Well done. I guessed the concept of the day -- needed to take it further to the division of time zones.
Another great teaser Marc. Always enjoy your submissions.. The answer jumped at me pretty easily, but I credit the "A Part of our Heritage" commercials with teaching me who proposed the idea of time zones.
Too hard for me. I of course didn't get it at all. Not canadian.
Too hard for me. I of course didn't get it at all. Not canadian.
Nice teaser, enjoyed it.
Had no idea before I read the hint. hintAfteri read that, the answer was easy.
This one was fun to try and figure out. I knew from the beginning that it had something to do with time, but what, that was the part that I had a hard time figuring out. I didn't use the hint because on my tablet, the answer comes up before the hint. Wouldn't have helped anyway. I finally got it after a cup of coffee! Another really great teaser MarcM!
Being a very science-oriented person, this one came to me almost immediately (suspected it was time zones after the first two lines and locked in on it after the third).
Time zones are particularly interesting to me because I spend time in both Florida and Indiana. Since the IN area is in the far western part of the Eastern Time Zone, and the FL area is closer to the eastern edge, the sun sets almost a full hour later in IN (9:24 PM) than in FL (8:30 PM) at this time of year (late June), even though they are in the same time zone.
Also curious to note is that, even though FL is the "Sunshine State", since IN is further North, daylight there lasts a full hour and fifteen minutes longer at this time of year than it does in FL. That would be reversed during winter months, a big reason why FL is so much warmer then.
Time zones are particularly interesting to me because I spend time in both Florida and Indiana. Since the IN area is in the far western part of the Eastern Time Zone, and the FL area is closer to the eastern edge, the sun sets almost a full hour later in IN (9:24 PM) than in FL (8:30 PM) at this time of year (late June), even though they are in the same time zone.
Also curious to note is that, even though FL is the "Sunshine State", since IN is further North, daylight there lasts a full hour and fifteen minutes longer at this time of year than it does in FL. That would be reversed during winter months, a big reason why FL is so much warmer then.
Thanks for an excellent fun filled teaser; very well written, congrats!
I thought this was pretty easy to solve, having the answer by "twenty four steps". I love the way it was written: the language and rhyme. It had a lot of research behind it and provided all the interesting info in the answer.
I could not figure out what the size of constant fifteen referenced. I'm glad that was explained in the answer. I also never knew that some countries are a quarter hour off from a standard hourly shift from UTC.
Terrific teaser! Exemplary.
I could not figure out what the size of constant fifteen referenced. I'm glad that was explained in the answer. I also never knew that some countries are a quarter hour off from a standard hourly shift from UTC.
Terrific teaser! Exemplary.
I absolutely loved this teaser. The logic was exemplary. Aside from my having to note that I am about 60% sure that the idea of time zones was proposed in 1878, wonderful job!
Fun, educational and entertaining teaser. I was stumped by this well written teaser, but was glad to learn something new.
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