Lesson 6.1 · Time and Measurement
Telling time to the minute
You already know how to read a clock to the nearest 5 minutes. But the bus does not always come at 8:05 or 8:10. Sometimes it comes at 8:07! In this lesson you'll read a clock to the exact minute.
The little marks
Look closely at a clock face. Between one number and the next there are 4 small marks. They split the gap into 5 spaces.
Each space is 1 minute. The long hand (the minute hand) moves one space every minute. It takes 60 minutes to go all the way around.
Count by 5s, then by 1s
To read the minutes, don't count all the little marks one by one. That takes too long. Use a faster plan.
Reading the minutes
- Find the last number the minute hand passed. Count by 5s up to that number.
- Count on by 1s for each little mark after it.
- For the hour, find the last number the short hand (the hour hand) passed.
Write the hour, then a colon, then the minutes.
On the clock above, the minute hand passed the 4. Count by 5s: 5, 10, 15, 20. Then count on 3 marks: 21, 22, 23. The hour hand is between 4 and 5, so the hour is 4. The time is 4:23.
Worked example: Read the clock
The minute hand passed the 9. Count by 5s to 9: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45. Then count on 2 marks: 46, 47.
The hour hand is between 8 and 9. It passed 8, so the hour is 8.
The time is 8:47.
Worked example: A small number of minutes
The minute hand passed the 1. Count by 5s to 1: 5. Count on 1 mark: 6.
The hour hand is just past the 1. The time is 1:06. Remember to write a zero in front of small minutes: 1:06, not 1:6.
Worked example: Almost the next hour
The minute hand passed the 11. Count by 5s: 5, 10, …, 55. Count on 3 marks: 56, 57, 58.
The hour hand is very close to 12, but it has not reached it yet. It last passed 11. The time is 11:58. In 2 more minutes it will be 12:00.
Common mistake
When the minutes are big, like 50 or more, the hour hand is almost at the next number. It is easy to read the wrong hour. Ask: which number did the hour hand already pass? That is the hour. At 11:58, the hour is 11, not 12.
A.M. and P.M.
The hour hand goes around the clock two times every day. So 7:15 could be in the morning or in the evening.
- A.M. means from midnight until noon (morning).
- P.M. means from noon until midnight (afternoon and evening).
You eat breakfast at about 7:15 a.m. You might eat dinner at about 6:40 p.m.
Tip
To check your answer, count the minutes a second way. For 8:47, the minute hand is 3 marks before the 10. The 10 means 50 minutes, and 3 less than 50 is 47. Both ways give 47.
Practice
What time is it? Write it like 4:23.
Type your answer
The minute hand is 3 marks past the 6. How many minutes after the hour is it?
Type a number.
What time does this clock show?
What time is it? Write it like 4:23.
Type your answer
Where does the minute hand point at 5:27?
What time is it? Write it like 4:23.
Type your answer
Sam's alarm clock shows the time he wakes up in the morning. What time does he wake up? Write it like 4:23.
Type your answer
Mia looks at this clock and says, "It is 4:56, because the hour hand is almost at 4." What time is it really?