4
$\begingroup$

It was 17:52 in the evening and I couldn’t wait for my class to finish. Only 8 more minutes… I really hate night school!

I sat there pondering the stuff on the blackboard and wondering why he wrote it only 8 minutes before class let out. It reads:

Class, I have a quest ion: What time zone are we in?

Of course I know what time zone I’m in, so why would he be asking this.

Wondering if it was a trick question, I pondered over it.

Earlier in the class I couldn’t help but notice the professor had scribbled a note on the window:

My cat needs food.

Curious, I wondered why he would put that for everyone to see.

While attempting to figure it all out, I get a text from a distant friend.

Them: hey

Me: hey! hows Vik?

Them: <3 love

Them: you eat dinner yet?

Me: no, in class

Me: you have breakfast yet?

Them: yeah, ate at 8 (lol), 7 min ago

Me: lucky, i'm starving

The professor looks around and taps on the blackboard to ensure everyone was working.

I then realize he is just as bored as we are and it’s not a trick question. He just wanted to keep us busy for the last few minutes… so I write down my current time zone and hand it in.

Info:

All times are standard, no daylight savings.

If you answer with the other one, it might just be correct.

Edit

After further research, I realize that the friend location is in one of those shared time zones despite the fact that it sits in another time zone. So, it might be a bit deceiving when looking at time zones.

$\endgroup$
4
  • $\begingroup$ So the space in "quest ion" is a typo? $\endgroup$ Oct 2, 2018 at 21:22
  • $\begingroup$ @chux it is not $\endgroup$ Oct 2, 2018 at 21:29
  • $\begingroup$ Hmmm, so somehow "quest" next to "ion" fits into this puzzle - I do not see how yet. $\endgroup$ Oct 2, 2018 at 21:52
  • $\begingroup$ @chux I actually explained it in the accepted answer comment. $\endgroup$ Oct 2, 2018 at 21:53

2 Answers 2

8
$\begingroup$

Answer:

(UTC+8:45)

Reason:

If the time is 17:52 for you, and 8:07 for your friend, the time difference is -9:45. The 45 minute timezone is very rare, so it is one of a few places. The text message says "how's Vik", there is a town in Iceland called Vik, and Iceland is UTC-1, so you are in Eucla, Australia (UTC+8:45).

$\endgroup$
6
  • $\begingroup$ I'm sorry, but this is not correct. There are clues to the actual GMT in the question, and the friend location $\endgroup$ Oct 2, 2018 at 15:18
  • $\begingroup$ @CodeLikeBeaker Edited :) $\endgroup$
    – AHKieran
    Oct 2, 2018 at 15:29
  • $\begingroup$ This is correct :) Vik is actually +0, while it sits in the -1 time zone, it's actually +0. But I guess it just depends on what site you look at for reference $\endgroup$ Oct 2, 2018 at 15:30
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @CodeLikeBeaker well I'm in England and I looked up Iceland timezone and it said 15:30 and it's 16:30 for me. I'm used to being UTC+0 as GMT but forget how DST affects that so just put -1 :) $\endgroup$
    – AHKieran
    Oct 2, 2018 at 15:32
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I'm still confused by "My cat needs food" though, He wrote it on a window so I tried to write it down flipped, as if looking from the other side, but couldn't decipher it. $\endgroup$
    – AHKieran
    Oct 2, 2018 at 15:33
6
$\begingroup$

You are in

Nepal, UTC +5:45,

And your friend is in

Eastern North America, UTC -4:00. At 8:07AM in Eastern NA, it will be 5:52PM in Nepal.

You could also be in

Eucla, Australia, UTC +8:45, and your friend in Cape Verde, UTC -1:00.

You could also also be in

Chatham Islands, New Zealand, UTC +12:45, and your friend in Turkey or Saudi Arabia, UTC +3:00.

$\endgroup$
2
  • $\begingroup$ One of these is correct but the friend location is wrong. It actually says where the friend is in the question :) Also, there are clues to the actual GMT $\endgroup$ Oct 2, 2018 at 15:13
  • $\begingroup$ I have to stand corrected, the friend location is +0, not -1 GMT. My resources lied to me. So, your assessment for the -1 GMT is indeed correct. $\endgroup$ Oct 2, 2018 at 15:27

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.