There are different time zones scattered all over the world. It is estimated to have 24 time zones worldwide. Before jumping into time zones, it is important to understand GMT and UTC.
GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time, and UTC stands for Universal Coordinated Universal Time.
GMT and UTC are like Earth’s time, and to no surprise, both are the same. The only difference they have is that GMT itself is a time zone, and UTC is a time standard. Out of all those 24 different time zones, Eastern Time (ET) and Pacific Time (PT) are one such zone.
I/C
Key Differences –
Eastern Time
- Eastern Time (ET) covers two countries, namely the United States of America (USA) and Canada.
- Eastern Time (ET) stays the same in the areas that do not observe Daylight Saving Time.
- In the areas observing Daylight Saving Time, Eastern Time (ET) changes between its two subtypes, and these are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) or Eastern Standard Time (EST).
- Eastern Time Zone mainly covers 20+ states in the eastern USA and eastern Canada,
Pacific Time
- Pacific Time (PT) also covers two countries, namely the USA and Canada.
- Pacific Time (PT) stays the same in the areas that do not observe Daylight Saving Time.
- In the areas observing Daylight Saving Time, just like Eastern Time (ET), Pacific Time (PT) changes between its two subtypes, and these are Pacific Standard Time (PST) and Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
- Pacific Time (PT) covers parts of the Western US, Western Canada, and Western Mexico.
Comparison Between Eastern Time (ET) And Pacific Time (PT)
| Parameter | Eastern Time (ET) | Pacific time (PT) |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Eastern Time is just a time zone like all the time zones are scattered all over the world. | Just like Eastern Time, Pacific Time is also a time zone. |
| Countries Involved | The Eastern Time involves the Eastern US and Eastern Canada mainly. | Pacific Time mainly involves the Western US, Western Canada, and Western Mexico |
| UTC time | UTC – 5 hours. | UTC – 8 hours. |
| Mean Solar Time | The mean solar time in the case of Eastern Time is from the 75th Meridian west of Greenwich. | The mean solar time in the case of Pacific Time is from the 120th Meridian east of Greenwich. |
Major Differences Between Eastern Time (ET) And Pacific Time (PT)
Before we proceed to know the difference between Eastern Time (ET) and Pacific Time (PT), it is important to understand the difference between Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
What exactly is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)?
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is a universal time zone. It is located at 0 degrees longitude in Greenwich, London. When the sun is exactly on top of the head, it is 12:00 noon in Greenwich, London. Before the UTC, all of the time zones were calculated from the GMT.
What exactly is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)?
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is a time standard for all the time zones in the world. UTC is based on International Atomic Time (TAI) which, in short, keeps the atomic clocks coordinated with Earth’s rotation.
Different time zones are calculated by adding and subtracting hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
I/C
Difference between GMT and UTC –
As far as the time is concerned, there is not any difference between GMT and UTC. The major difference between the two is that GMT is a time zone, whereas UTC is a time standard. And UTC offers more accuracy than GMT does.
What exactly is Eastern Time (ET)?
Just like there are different time zones all around the world, there is one such time zone called Eastern Time (ET). Eastern Time (ET) covers the Eastern United States of America, Eastern Canada, Caribbean and Atlantic Islands, etc.
Eastern Time (ET) stays constant in the areas that do not have Daylight Saving Time. But in the areas having Daytime Saving Time, Eastern Time varies between Eastern Standard Time (EST) and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
I/C
How is Eastern Time (ET) calculated?
- Eastern Time (ET) is calculated by subtracting 5 hours from the UTC, i.e., UTC – 05:00.
- Eastern Standard Time (EST) is calculated by subtracting 5 hours from the UTC, i.e., UTC – 05:00.
- Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is calculated by subtracting 4 hours from the UTC, i.e., UTC – 04:00.
What exactly is Pacific Time (PT)?
Just like Eastern Time (ET) and all other time zones, Pacific Time (PT) is one such time zone that covers the Western United States of America, Western Canada, and Western Mexico.
Just like Eastern Time (ET), Pacific Time (PT) also stays constant in the areas that do not have Daylight Saving Time. Otherwise, Pacific Time (PT) switches between Pacific Standard Time (PST) and Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
I/C
How is Pacific Time calculated?
- Pacific Time (PT) is calculated by subtracting 8 hours from the UTC, i.e., UTC – 08:00.
- Pacific Standard Time (PST) is calculated by subtracting 8 hours from the UTC, i.e., UTC – 08:00.
- Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) is calculated by subtracting 7 hours from the UTC, i.e., UTC – 07:00.
The Contrast Between Eastern Time (ET) And Pacific Time (PT)
Cover countries
- Eastern Time: Eastern United States of America, Eastern Canada
- Pacific Time: Western United States OF America, Western Canada, Western Mexico.
UTC
- Eastern Time: Eastern Time is calculated by subtracting 5 hours from the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
- Pacific Time: Pacific Time is calculated by subtracting 8 hours from the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
UTC
- Eastern Standard Time: Eastern Standard Time is calculated by subtracting 5 hours from the UTC.
- Pacific Standard Time: Pacific Standard Time is calculated by subtracting 8 hours from the UTC.
UTC
- Eastern Daylight Time: Eastern Daylight Time is calculated by subtracting 4 hours from the UTC.
- Pacific Daylight Time: Pacific Daylight Time is calculated by subtracting 7 hours from the UTC.
The US States Under These Time Zones
- Eastern Time: The American states which come into the Eastern Time Zone are West Virginia, Virginia, Vermont, Tennessee, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland, Mine, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, District of Columbia, Delaware, Connecticut.
- Pacific Time: The American states that come into the Pacific Time Zone are: California, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
The Canada States Under These Time Zones
- Eastern Time: The Canadian states that come into the Eastern Time Zone are Nunavut, Ontario, and Quebec.
- Pacific Time: British Columbia, Yukon.
Conclusion
There are a number of different time zones present on our planet. One of these time zones is Eastern Time Zone and Pacific Time Zone. Both the time zones cover the parts of the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean Islands.
While Eastern Time (ET) covers the eastern parts of the US and Canada, Pacific Time (PT) covers the western parts of the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Eastern Standard Time (EST) and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) are the subtypes of Eastern Time. On the other hand, Pacific Standard Time (PST) and Pacific Daytime Time (PDT) are the subtypes of Pacific Time.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q1. How much is the difference between Eastern and Pacific time?
Since Pacific Time is UTC – 08:00. And Eastern Time is UTC – 05:00, the difference between Eastern Time and Pacific Time is of Three Hours.
Q2. Are there any places that fall into both the time zones, i.e., Eastern and Pacific?
Yes, there are. Washington falls under the Pacific Time Zone, but Washington DC falls under the Eastern Time Zone.
Q3. What is Daytime Saving Time?
Daytime Saving Time is a technique of pushing an hour in summers so that the darker period falls at a much later time than usual and to make the best use of daylight.
Q4. Are GMT and UTC the same?
Apart from GMT itself being a time zone while the UTC is a time standard, there is no difference between Greenwich Mean Time and the Coordinated Universal Time.
I’m a former teacher (and mother of Two Childs) with a background in child development. Here to help you with play-based learning activities for kids. ( Check my Next startup Cledemy.Com)