Measuring Time
Just like we can convert units of weight or height, we can also convert units of time. Let's start off with some common conversions that are helpful to remember.
Conversions
$60$60 seconds = $1$1 minute
$60$60 minutes = $1$1 hour
$24$24 hours = $1$1 day
$7$7 days = $1$1 week
$2$2 weeks = $1$1 fortnight
$365$365 days = $1$1 year
$52$52 weeks = $1$1 year
$26$26 fortnights = $1$1 year
$12$12 months = $1$1 year
We also frequently use $30$30 days = $1$1 month, even though this is not an exact conversion.
Using these conversions
Once you know these conversions, you can use them to change units of time and express them in different forms. For example you could express hours as minutes or days and months. It's helpful to be able to convert to larger or smaller units of time as otherwise numbers can get VERY big or small and you lose their context. For example, I could say it takes about $1260$1260 minutes to get from Sydney to London, or I could say it takes about $21$21 hours. Can you see how $21$21 hours gives you a better picture of how long the flight takes because you know that's about a day?
Tips for converting
If we want to convert from a larger to a smaller unit of measurement, we need to multiply.
If we want to convert from a smaller to a larger unit of measurement, we need to divide.
ExamplesÂ
Question 1
Convert $660$660 seconds into minutes.
QUESTION 2
Convert $11.5$11.5 hours into minutes.
QUESTION 3
Answer the questions below to find the number of hours in $5$5 months
You may assume there are $30$30 days in a month.
Convert $5$5 months into days.
Convert $150$150 days into hours.