In the modern world, time has become the most valuable resource that is always lacking. To use it rationally and correctly, you need to be able to accurately measure it. What each year, months, weeks and days is known to every student, but not everyone will answer what is the 1st quarter, how many months are there and how many quarters a year. In addition, for many people it is not clear why this additional measure of calculating time was introduced at all.
What it is?
The term “quarter” itself came from the Latin language through the mediation of German and is literally translated as “a quarter”. Thus, from the very name of this period of time, we can understand that the quarter is the fourth part of the year. That is, there are only four quarters in a year, which are indicated by Latin numbers from one to four.
In English-speaking countries, the numbering of quarters is identical to Russian, but their graphic designation is different - using Arabic numerals, each of which is preceded by the Latin letter "Q".
In a quarter, how many months
Do not confuse this term with another similar concept of “season”. After all, it is also equal to the fourth part of the calendar year. In a quarter, how many months, how many and in a season. But, unlike the season, which refers to 3 months of one season (spring, summer, winter and autumn seasons), a quarter is three months in order, one after another, not taking into account the time of year. 
The quarter starts with the new calendar year. So, for example, the I quarter of the year consists of January, February and March - two months of winter and one spring. And the first season - winter, starts a month before the new calendar year - in December and consists of three winter months. It is worth noting that not a single quarter coincides with the season.
An interesting fact, in the old days among the Slavs, the new year was counted from the first month of spring - March. If such a calculation were applied today, the quarter of the year and season of the year would coincide chronologically completely, and perhaps one of these concepts would be eliminated.
Why is the division of the year into quarters
Having dealt with the question: how many months are there in a quarter, it is worth paying attention to why it is generally necessary to divide a year into quarters, because there are months and six months. The division of the year into quarters is most often used for reporting in various institutions. This allows you to systematize accounting documentation, especially in the field of accounting and statistics, as well as to track the implementation of certain work plans.
A year is evenly divided into quarters by months, but not all of them are the same length and, as a rule, last 90, 91 or 92 days. It all depends on the number of days in a month, because a quarter is 3 months of a year, which means its duration is equal to the sum of all days of the three months of which it consists. For example, the I quarter in an ordinary (non-leap) year consists of 90 days (31 + 28 + 31), I I - of 91, and the last two - each of 92 days. The difference in the length of the quarters introduces inconvenience in the preparation of quarterly reporting. To cope with this problem, for more than 100 years, the project of creating a new, more stable and convenient calendar than the current one has been discussed. However, the strongest minds of the planet have not yet been able to solve this problem, since the Gregorian calendar, which we use now, despite all the minuses, is the most accurate in the entire known history of mankind and is based on astronomical data, taking into account all the peculiarities of the Earth's movement around the Sun.
Interesting Facts
During the Soviet Union, in a number of industries, the quarter year did not coincide with the economic year (it began in the month of October).This created a huge confusion in reporting, so over time this phenomenon disappeared.
Since division into quarters is most often used in accounting, sometimes a quarter is called a tax or reporting period. Due to the fact that at the end of each quarter it is necessary to submit reports, pay payments, apply for or reissue patents, contracts, etc.
In the word “quarter”, emphasis is placed on the second syllable - “quarter”. However, often financial and statistical workers pronounce “Quartal”. This pronunciation is absolutely incorrect and is not confirmed by any of the dictionaries.
Dividing into quarters is a long-established tradition throughout the world. It is of particular importance for the areas of reporting and accounting. It is also useful for people not related to these industries to know about this period of time, its purpose and how many months in a quarter. This information will not only broaden the general horizons, but also help to avoid falling into ridiculous situations, because a quarter is not only a unit of time, but also the name of a number of houses from the intersection to the intersection in street architecture.
