The Volokh Conspiracy

Alice, who is in an Atlantic seaboard state (one of the states of the USA, that is) is talking on the phone to Bob, who is in a Pacific seaboard state (again, one of the states of the USA). "What time is there?," Alice says. Bob gives the correct time where he is. "Funny, it's the same time here," says Alice. How is that possible?

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Thanks to Warren Usui for the problem.

	[Eugene Volokh, March 3, 2005 at 3:26pm] Trackbacks Puzzle: Alice, who is in an Atlantic seaboard state (one of the states of the USA, that is) is talking on the phone to Bob, who is in a Pacific seaboard state (again, one of the states of the USA). "What time is there?," Alice says. Bob gives the correct time where he is. "Funny, it's the same time here," says Alice. How is that possible? (Show hint.) Look closely at this map. (Hide hint.) (Show answer.) (1) A small part of Oregon is on Mountain time, and the Florida panhandle is on Central time, just one hour off. (2) But how can these two different time zones be on the same time? In the Fall, when we switch back an hour, away from daylight savings time, the switch happens at 2 am local time. So when it's 2 am on switch day in the Central zone, the time switches back to 1 am. And it's still 1 am in the Mountain zone (since the zone won't fall back until 2 am in Mountain). (Hide answer.) Thanks to Warren Usui for the problem.