Why is the Prime Meridian so important?
There are many things that we can do now because of the Prime Meridian. We can phone people around the world and know that they will be awake. We can fly across the ocean and know what time we will arrive. At the time that it was established, no one realized how important this common zero would be to business and people's lives.
Understanding Time
If all the countries did not share a common zero longitude, then it would be hard to understand time. Before the prime meridian, if you were to travel over land from one region to another that used a different meridian, the time of day might be minutes or hours ahead or behind the region you left.
Pinpointing locations
If you have ever looked at a map you have probably noticed that there are vertical lines drawn at certain intervals east and west of the Prime Meridian. These lines, drawn during the IMC, represent longitude, and the lines that are drawn at intervals north and south of the Equator represent latitude. By using these lines you can locate any point on a map. In a set of coordinates, the latitude is written first, then comes the longitude, ie. 45N, 93W would be 45 degrees north and 93 degrees West (St.Paul). If the Prime Meridian had not been created, this set of coordinates could translate into multiple locations according to where your country's meridian was.
Communications and Travel
The Prime Meridian greatly improved global communication and travel. In terms of communication, it allows us to calculate what time it is in a different location. If you are calling somebody in a different time zone, you can know what time it is there and what time would be appropriate to call them. As for travel, the timetables of trains and planes are now a lot easier to comprehend. For example, if you are passing to one time zone from another, you will know what time it is when you arrive there, as well as how many hours it took to arrive.
The Prime Meridian has had many impacts on multiple things, and overall it has made life much easier for us.
Understanding Time
If all the countries did not share a common zero longitude, then it would be hard to understand time. Before the prime meridian, if you were to travel over land from one region to another that used a different meridian, the time of day might be minutes or hours ahead or behind the region you left.
Pinpointing locations
If you have ever looked at a map you have probably noticed that there are vertical lines drawn at certain intervals east and west of the Prime Meridian. These lines, drawn during the IMC, represent longitude, and the lines that are drawn at intervals north and south of the Equator represent latitude. By using these lines you can locate any point on a map. In a set of coordinates, the latitude is written first, then comes the longitude, ie. 45N, 93W would be 45 degrees north and 93 degrees West (St.Paul). If the Prime Meridian had not been created, this set of coordinates could translate into multiple locations according to where your country's meridian was.
Communications and Travel
The Prime Meridian greatly improved global communication and travel. In terms of communication, it allows us to calculate what time it is in a different location. If you are calling somebody in a different time zone, you can know what time it is there and what time would be appropriate to call them. As for travel, the timetables of trains and planes are now a lot easier to comprehend. For example, if you are passing to one time zone from another, you will know what time it is when you arrive there, as well as how many hours it took to arrive.
The Prime Meridian has had many impacts on multiple things, and overall it has made life much easier for us.
By Caroline Lucas and Jade Mulcahy
