Topics
9. Time
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Australia
Year 3

9.03 Minutes

Lesson
Practice
Lesson

Are you ready?

Can you tell time to the nearest quarter-hour, if not try some more  here  ?

Examples

Example 1

What time is shown on the clock?

A clock where the hour hand points at just past 5 and long hand points at 3.
Worked Solution
Create a strategy

For the hours, enter the number that the hour hand has just passed. For the minutes, multiply what the long hand is pointing at by 5.

Apply the idea

The hour hand has just passed 5.

The long hand is pointing at 3, so, 3\times5=15.

The time shown is 5\text:15, or quarter past 5.

Idea summary

We can describe the position of the minute hand using these phrases:

  • O'Clock - when the minute hand is pointing to 12

  • quarter past - when the minute hand is pointing to 3

  • half past - when the minute hand is pointing to 6

  • quarter to - when the minute hand is pointing to 9

This image shows a clock with labels. Ask your teacher for more information.

Tell time every five minutes

This video explores how we can use the markings on a clock to tell time in 5 minute intervals.

Loading video...

Examples

Example 2

How many minutes past the hour is shown on the clock?

A clock where the hour hand points at just past 8 and the minute hand points at 4.
Worked Solution
Create a strategy

Multiply the number that the minute hand is pointing at by 5.

Apply the idea

The minute hand is pointing at 4, so, 4 \times 5 = 20.

It is 20 minutes past the hour.

Idea summary

  • When naming the times between 1 and 30 minutes, we describe this as how many minutes 'past' the hour.

  • When naming the times between 31 and 59 minutes on the clock, we describe it as how many minutes 'to' the next hour.

Outcomes

AC9M3M03

recognise and use the relationship between formal units of time including days, hours, minutes and seconds to estimate and compare the duration of events

AC9M3M04

describe the relationship between the hours and minutes on analog and digital clocks, and read the time to the nearest minute

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