Telling the time

We tell the time from clocks. The short hand points to the hour and the long hand to the minutes. There are 60 minutes in an hour and 24 hours in a day.

Key facts

  • Each number on a clock is 5 minutes for the long hand.
  • 60 seconds = 1 minute, 60 minutes = 1 hour, 24 hours = 1 day.
  • 24-hour clock: afternoon times add 12 (3 pm = 15:00).
  • To find how long something lasts, count on to the next hour, then on again.

Worked examples

Example 1

A film starts at 2:45 pm and ends at 4:20 pm. How long is it?

  1. 2:45 to 3:00 is 15 minutes.
  2. 3:00 to 4:00 is 1 hour.
  3. 4:00 to 4:20 is 20 minutes.
  4. 15 + 20 = 35 minutes, plus 1 hour. 1 h 35 min

Answer: 1 hour 35 minutes

Example 2

Write 7:30 pm in 24-hour time.

  1. pm times after 1 pm: add 12 to the hour. 7 + 12 = 19
  2. 19:30

Answer: 19:30