The history of keeping time - Karen Mensing

Prevoditelj: Ivan Stamenković Recezent: Sanda L

We check the time every day, all day long.

Provjeravamo vrijeme svakog dana, čitav dan.

But did you ever wonder - where did telling time come from?

Ali, jeste li se ikad pitali - otkud praćenje vremena?

Why does it matter what time it is?

Zašto je uopće važno koliko je sati?

Who determined the clock

Tko je odredio sat

and why in the world are there so many different time zones?

i zašto je na svijetu toliko različitih vremenskih zona?

The first form of telling time was the sundial

Prvi oblik praćenja vremena bio je sunčani sat

and the earliest sundials known from the archaeological record

i najraniji sunčani satovi poznati u arheologiji

are obelisks from nearly 5,000 years ago.

su obelisci od prije 5000 godina.

Sundials indicate the time by casting a shadow

Sunčani satovi kazuju vrijeme bacajući sjenu

onto a surface.

na površinu.

The object that casts the shadow is a stick in the center known as a gnomon.

Predmet koji baca sjenu je štap u središtu znan kao gnomon.

A well-constructed sundial can measure time with remarkable accuracy,

Dobro konstruiran sunčani sat može mjeriti vrijeme velikom točnošću

and sundials were used to monitor the performance of clocks until the modern era.

i sunčani satovi korišteni su za praćenje rada satova do modernog doba.

No, i sunčani satovi imaju svoja ograničenja.

But sundials have their limitations too.

Obviously they require the sun to shine,

Očito, potrebno im je sunce,

so they don't work at all during the night when it's dark.

tako da uopće ne rade po noći.

Many different devices have been used over the years to estimate the passage of time:

Mnogi različiti uređaji korišteni su kako bi se pratio protok vremena:

candles and sticks of incense that burn down at fairly predictable speeds

svijeće i mirisni štapići koji su gorjeli predvidljivim brzinama

have been used, along with the hourglass.

korišteni su zajedno s pješčanim satovima.

Hourglasses are devices in which fine sand

Pješčani satovi su uređaji u kojima fini pjesak

pours through a tiny hole at a constant rate

teče kroz malenu rupu stalnim tempom

and indicates a predetermined passage of an arbitrary period of time.

i prikazuje predodređen prolazak određenog vremenskog razdoblja.

The origin of the hourglass is uncertain,

Porijeklo pješčanog sata teško je utvrditi,

although beginning in the 14th century, the hourglass was used commonly,

iako je početkom 14. stoljeća pješčani sat bio učestalo korišten,

especially on board ships.

osobito na brodovima.

The motion of the boat on the water did not affect the hourglass,

Kretanje broda na vodi nije utjecalo na pješčane satove

unlike other time-measuring devices.

kao na druge uređaje za mjerenje vremena.

The mechanical clock was invented in the 13th century

Mehanički sat izumljen je u 13. stoljeću,

which sparked a big change in traditional timekeeping methods.

što je pokrenulo veliku promjenu u načinu praćenja vremena.

This modern clock relied on the swing of a pendulum

Moderni sat se oslanjao na ljuljanje utega

ili vibracije kvarcnog kristala, koji je bio točniji od pijeska

or the vibration of a quartz crystal, which was far more accurate than sand

or candles.

ili svijeća.

Today, the basis for scientific time

Danas, osnova znanstvenog vremena

is a continuous count of seconds

je stalno brojanje sekundi bazirano

based on atomic clocks all around the world, known as the international atomic time.

na atomskim satovima diljem svijeta, znano i kao međunarodno atomsko vrijeme.

Why does it matter that we keep track of time?

Zašto je važno da pratimo vrijeme?

Well, time regulates our daily lives

Pa, vrijeme regulira našu svakodnevnicu

and makes it possible to accurately communicate with people

i omogućuje da točno komuniciramo s ljudima

all over the world.

diljem svijeta.

Without a time system, we would have many challenges in farming,

Bez vremenskog sustava, imali bismo puno izazova u poljoprivredi,

social structures, communication, and business.

društvenim strukturama, komunikaciji i poslu.

Take the American railroad system, for example.

Uzmite američku željeznicu kao primjer.

In the mid-19th century, each railroad used its own standard time

Sredinom 19. stoljeća, svaka željeznica koristila je svoje standardno vrijeme

generally based on the local time of its headquarters,

temeljeno na lokalnom vremenu svog sjedišta

and the railroad's train schedules were published using its own time.

i raspored vlakova je objavljen koristeći to njihovo vrijeme.

Some major railroad junctions

Neka velika raskrižja

served by several different railroads

koja je koristilo više različitih željeznica,

had a separate clock for each railroad, each showing a different time.

imalo je poseban sat za svaku željeznicu, svaki pokazujući drugo vrijeme.

The distance between New York and Boston is about 2 degrees, or 8 minutes,

Udaljenost između New Yorka i Bostona je otprilike 2 stupnja, ili 8 minuta,

which can be the difference between making or missing your train connection.

što može činiti razliku hoćete li stići na vlak ili ne.

If the difference between New York and Boston

Ako je razlika između New Yorka i Bostona

is 8 minutes, imagine the difference

osam minuta, zamislite razliku

između Bostona i Australije.

between Boston and Australia.

The use of time zones irons out these differences

Korištenje vremenskih zona ispravlja ove razlike

i olakšava komunikaciju.

and makes communication significantly smoother.

A time zone is a region on earth

Vremenska zona je područje na Zemlji

koje ima jedinstveno standardno vrijeme.

that has a uniform standard time.

There are 40 time zones on land

Postoji 40 vremenskih zona na kopnu

jer su najranija i najkasnija vremenska zona

because the earliest and latest time zones

are 26 hours apart.

međusobno udaljene 26 sati.

Any given calendar date exists at some point

Svaki kalendarski datum u nekom trenutku

on the globe for 50 hours.

na planetu postoji 50 sati.

Tako da kada vas netko pita:

So the next time someone asks you

"What time is it?"

"Koliko je sati?",

vaš odgovor bi mogao biti puno složeniji nego prije.

Your answer may be a whole lot more complicated than it used to be.