Final answer:
When it is noon in California, it is 3 p.m. on the East Coast due to the three-hour time difference between the Pacific and Eastern Standard Time Zones.
Step-by-step explanation:
If your office is in California and it is noon, on the East Coast it would be 3 p.m. This is because California is in the Pacific Standard Time Zone while the East Coast is in the Eastern Standard Time Zone.
The United States is divided into multiple time zones that are based on longitudinal divisions of the country, each generally about 15 degrees wide, corresponding to a one-hour difference in local solar time. The Eastern time zone is 3 hours ahead of the Pacific time zone.
Thus, when it is 12:00 noon in California, adding three hours to this time reflects the time on the East Coast, which would therefore be 3:00 p.m.