utc

Everyday

1. UTC stands for Coordinated Universal Time, the main world time standard that clocks and computers use; time zones are given as UTC plus or minus some hours. tree →
2. In winter UTC is the same as the time in London (Greenwich Mean Time, GMT). tree →
3. (UK) A UTC is also a University Technical College, a kind of school for pupils aged 14 to 19 focusing on science and engineering. tree →

In the lessons

In geography and maths lessons about time zones, places are «ahead of» or «behind» UTC: Sydney is several hours ahead, New York is several hours behind. Pilots, scientists, weather forecasters and computers use UTC so everyone means the same time. In maths problems you add or subtract hours to work out local time. Phrases: UTC+10, UTC−5, in UTC, time zone.

Examples

• New York is five hours behind UTC in winter. tree →
• Sydney is ahead of UTC. tree →
• Pilots always use UTC so there is no mix-up. tree →
• The rocket launch time was given in UTC. tree →
• If it is noon UTC and you live in UTC+2, it is two o'clock where you are. tree →
• My computer shows the time zone as UTC+1. tree →
• In winter, London time is the same as UTC. tree →
• My brother goes to a UTC to study engineering. tree →

Note

An abbreviation: always written in capitals, UTC, said letter by letter «you-tee-see». The letters are in a strange order because it was a compromise between English (CUT) and French (TUT). In maths: «UTC+3» means add 3 hours to UTC to get local time; «UTC−5» means take away 5 hours. Watch out when the answer passes midnight: the day changes too.