Clock: to the minute
You learn to read and show times on a clock on the minute.
How to work it out
- Check the hour the short hand has passed.
- Count the long hand on in 5s: each number is 5 minutes.
- Count the small marks for the minutes in between.
A worked example
The big hand is at the 7. How many minutes is that?
- Count in 5s from the 12: 1 is 5, 2 is 10, 3 is 15, 4 is 20, 5 is 25, 6 is 30, 7 is 35.
- The big hand at 7 means 35 minutes.
More examples
Show 23 minutes on a clock
- Count in 5s: 5, 10, 15, 20 is at the 4, then 25 is at the 5.
- 23 is between 20 and 25, so just before the 5.
- Put the big hand just before the 5.
What time is it? (Small hand at 8, big hand at 3)
- The small hand at 8 means 8 o'clock.
- The big hand at 3 is 3 × 5 = 15 minutes.
- It is 8:15.
Watch out
You count 1, 2, 3... like numbers, not in 5-minute steps.
Each number on the clock is 5 minutes. Count 5, 10, 15, 20 to the number where the hand is.
You read the number instead of the time: at 3 it is 3 minutes.
At the 3 it is not 3 minutes, it is 15 minutes. Remember: 1=5, 2=10, 3=15, 4=20, and so on.
Tips
- At the 1 it is 5 minutes, at the 2 it is 10 minutes, at the 3 it is 15 minutes.
- Half past is at the 6, and that is 30 minutes.
Why it works
Every small mark on a clock is one minute. The big hand starts at the 12 at 0 minutes and returns to the 12 at 60 minutes (the whole hour). You count in 5-minute steps: at the 1 it is 5 minutes, at the 2 it is 10 minutes.