Final answer:
The time difference between Pacific and Eastern time is three hours, with Eastern Time being ahead. This is a fact travelers and individuals communicating across these zones must remember.
Step-by-step explanation:
The time difference between Pacific and Eastern time is three hours. The Eastern Standard Time (EST) zone is three time zones ahead of Pacific Standard Time (PST). When it is 1 p.m. in New York (Eastern Time), it is 10 a.m. in San Francisco (Pacific Time). This means that if someone from the East Coast calls someone in California at 5:00 a.m. their time, it is painfully early at 2:00 a.m. Pacific Time. The continental United States encompasses four main time zones – Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific – each spaced by roughly 15 degrees of longitude, or one hour in time.