RU version is available. Content is displayed in original English for accuracy.
Advertisement
Advertisement
⚡ Community Insights
Discussion Sentiment
67% Positive
Analyzed from 137 words in the discussion.
Trending Topics
#arbitrary#off#utc#prime#meridian#international#dateline#less#old#basing

Discussion (2 Comments)Read Original on HackerNews
Yes the prime meridian is somewhat arbitrary and a historical legacy of British imperialism-but replacing it with something just as arbitrary-but also idiosyncratic-is even worse.
The current system has the advantage that the international dateline goes through a relatively unpopulated region of the Pacific Ocean. I’ve thought before the longitudinal midpoint of the Afro-Eurasian landmass might be a less arbitrary (albeit still Old World-centric) prime meridian-but it would put the international dateline in a less convenient spot. And the costs of changing outweigh any possible benefit