Quck answer
Leap years occur every four years to keep our calendar in sync with the Earth’s orbit around the sun. This extra day, February 29th, is added because it takes the Earth approximately 365.25 days to complete one orbit. By adding a leap day every four years, we account for the extra quarter day and ensure that our calendar stays aligned with the seasons. However, not all years divisible by four are leap years. Years that are divisible by 100 are not leap years, unless they are also divisible by 400. This adjustment helps to further refine our calendar system and maintain its accuracy over time.
Most years, the transition from February 28 to March 1 occurs. However, every few years, something different happens! In 2016, we had a February 29, and we will have another February 29 in 2020. What is the reason behind this?
On Earth, a solar year typically consists of 365 days. This is the amount of time it takes for Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun. When the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582, a year was defined as 365 days in order to align the calendar year with the solar year.
However, astronomers from a long time ago discovered that Earth actually takes a little longer than 365 days to complete its journey around the Sun. After precise measurements, they determined that one revolution around the Sun actually takes 365.242 days (or 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, to be exact).
This means that a year should actually be approximately 365 and one-fourth days long. Managing this on a calendar would be quite challenging, so the ancient Egyptians came up with a solution. They decided to combine four one-fourth days into one day and add that extra day to the calendar every four years to keep it in sync with the solar year.
The ancient Romans, led by Julius Caesar, adopted the same approach as the Egyptians when they developed our modern calendar. In fact, they were the first to designate February 29 as the additional day.
This extra day is known as Leap Day. The year in which it occurs is called a Leap Year, as it consists of 366 days and helps the calendar leap forward by one day to stay aligned with Earth’s journey around the Sun.
Is all of this really necessary? Adding an extra day every four years may not seem significant now, but it accumulates over time. For example, after a century, there would be a difference of 25 days between the calendar and solar years. This would mean that seasons would start nearly a month later than they are supposed to. Leap years help to correct this issue and keep the calendar on track.
Unfortunately, the math turned out to be slightly more complex than simply adding a day every four years. Astronomers discovered that the solar year is actually 11 minutes and 14 seconds shorter than 365 and one-fourth days. This means that adding a day every four years would result in three extra days being added every 400 years.
To solve this problem, the ancient Romans decided to skip leap years three times every 400 years. They established a rule that only one out of every four “century” years would be considered a leap year. For instance, 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years, while 2000 was.
The easiest way to determine whether a century year is a leap year is to check if it is evenly divisible by 400. Therefore, 2100, 2200, and 2300 will not be leap years, but 2400 will be a leap year.
Individuals born on February 29 are often referred to as “leaplings” or “leapers.” In non-leap years, also known as common years, they usually celebrate their birthdays on either February 28 or March 1. Some “leapers” take advantage of their special birthday as they grow older. For example, an 84-year-old “leapling” might claim to be only 21 since they have only celebrated 21 birthdays (every four years)!
Try It Out
Are you ready to embark on some exciting activities? Make sure to explore the following activities with a few of your friends and family members:
- Do you ever feel like you never have enough time to do all the things you want to do? Well, guess what? Leap years give you an extra day in the calendar that you don’t normally have. This is your chance to take advantage and plan a fun-filled day with your family, doing all the activities you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time for. So, what are you going to do on Leap Day this year? How many exciting family activities can you fit into this extra day? Get together with your friends and family and plan a day full of joy and laughter!
- Do you know anyone who was born on February 29? If you were born on Leap Day, how would you celebrate your birthdays throughout the years? Would you choose to celebrate every year on February 28 or March 1? Or would you have a special celebration on Leap Day each time it comes around? Take a moment to imagine what it would be like to be a leapling. Share your thoughts with a friend or family member. What do they think? How would they celebrate a Leap Day birthday?
- Are you ready to take a leap into the future? Imagine looking at a picture of yourself on February 29, 2020, and then again four years later on February 29, 2024. Think about all the changes that will happen in your life. Now, imagine leaping even further into the future, eight years from now. What do you see? Take some time to write a short, imaginative story about what your life will be like four, eight, twelve, sixteen, and twenty years from now. What adventures await you? What will the world be like? What changes do you envision?
Sources of Wonder
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_year
- http://www.timeanddate.com/date/leapyear.html
- http://www.infoplease.com/spot/leapyear2.html#ixzz1i2OHXnI0
- http://inventors.about.com/cs/inventionsalphabet/a/leap_year.htm
FAQ
1. Why do we have leap years?
Leap years are added to our calendar in order to keep our calendar year synchronized with the Earth’s orbit around the sun. The Earth takes approximately 365.25 days to complete one full orbit, so without leap years, our calendar would gradually fall out of sync with the seasons. By adding an extra day to the calendar every four years, we ensure that our calendar year aligns more closely with the Earth’s orbital period.
2. How do leap years work?
In the Gregorian calendar system, which is the most widely used calendar today, a leap year occurs every four years, with the exception of years that are divisible by 100 but not divisible by 400. This means that years like 2000 and 2400 are leap years, but years like 1900 and 2100 are not. By following this rule, we can maintain a more accurate alignment between our calendar and the Earth’s orbit.
3. What happens if we don’t have leap years?
If we didn’t have leap years, our calendar year would slowly drift out of sync with the Earth’s orbit around the sun. Over time, the seasons would gradually occur earlier or later in the year, causing significant disruptions to our agricultural cycles, weather patterns, and various cultural events that are tied to specific times of the year. Leap years help us maintain the regularity and predictability of our calendar system.
4. Are leap years the same in all countries?
No, leap years are not the same in all countries. While most countries follow the Gregorian calendar and use the same leap year rule, there are a few exceptions. For example, the Ethiopian calendar has a different leap year rule and follows a different calendar system altogether. Additionally, some cultures and religions have their own calendars with unique leap year rules that may differ from the Gregorian calendar.
5. How long have we had leap years?
Leap years have been used in various forms for thousands of years. The concept of intercalation, which involves adding extra days or months to a calendar, dates back to ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians and the Babylonians. The modern leap year system as we know it today was introduced by the Julian calendar in 45 BCE. This system was later refined and improved upon by the Gregorian calendar in 1582, which is the calendar system predominantly used worldwide today.
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