Speaker Series: Maureen Hintz

Name: Speaker Series: Maureen Hintz
Start: 2025-11-20T13:00:00-07:00
End: 2025-11-20T14:00:00-07:00
Location: Roots of Knowledge

Schedule

Thu Nov 20 2025 at 01:00 pm to 02:00 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

Roots of Knowledge | Orem, UT

What Time Is it? A Description of the Origin of Timekeeping
Maureen Hintz; Faculty Lecturer, Physics
We are all familiar with the concept of time and how we measure time today with seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. But why are there 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week and 28, 29, 30, or 31 days in a month? I'll present some of the origins of these concepts, including their astronomical origins, and how we have moved to highly technical ways to define them today.

Maureen Hintz has always wanted to be a scientist, and physics was the best fit. While studying at Brigham Young University, she was introduced to astronomy and teaching. After finishing her education, she because a full-time parent and adjunct faculty. Five years ago, she became a faculty lecturer in the Department of Physics at Utah Valley University, where she pioneers use of the planetarium in general education astronomy classes. When she is not working, she enjoys reading, day hiking in the Utah mountains, and trying to grow food to eat.