How to Tell Time
Find a working clock to look at., Know the relationship between seconds, minutes, and hours., Look at the numbers on the clock., Know that every hand on a clock travels around a circle in the same direction., Look at the number that the hours hand...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find a working clock to look at.
On this clock, you'll notice a lot of numbers and three arrows, also called hands.
One hand is very thin and moves very fast.
It's called the seconds hand.
Every time it moves, a second has gone by.
Another hand is thick and long like the seconds hand.
It's called the minutes hand.
Every time it moves one little tick, a minute has gone by.
Every 60 times it moves a whole step, an hour has gone by.
The last hand is thick, too, but smaller than the minutes hand.
It's called the hours hand.
Every time it moves one big tick, an hour has gone by.
Every 24 times it moves a whole step, a day has gone by. -
Step 2: Know the relationship between seconds
Seconds, minutes, and hours are all measures of the same thing: time.
They're not the same thing, but they measure the same thing.
Every 60 seconds counts as one minute. 60 seconds, or 1 minute, is the time it takes the seconds hand to move from the number 12 all the way back again to
12.
Every 60 minutes counts as one hour. 60 minutes, or 1 hour, is the time it takes the minutes hand to move from the number 12 all the way back again to
12.
Every 24 hours counts as one day. 24 hours, or one day, is the time it takes the hours hand to move from the number 12 all the way back again to 12, and then around one more time. , You'll notice that there are a lot of numbers laid out around the clock.
They are laid out in ascending order, which means they get bigger as they move around the circle of the clock.
There are numbers going up from 1 all the way to
12. , We call this direction "clockwise." It goes in the order of the numbers, like the clock was counting up from 1 to
12.
The hands on the clock always travel this direction when they are working properly. , This will tell us the hour of the day.
The hours hand always points at the big numbers on the clock. , When it's pointed between two numbers, the hour of the day is always the lower number.
So if the hours hand is pointed between 5 and 6 on the clock, it's 5-something, because 5 is the lower number. , For example, if the small, thick hand is pointed directly at the number 9, it's exactly 9 o'clock. , When the minutes hand hits 12, the next hour starts. , This will tell us the minute of the day.
Notice the little ticks in between the big numbers.
These represent minutes, although each big number also one minute, as well as the hour.
Tell how many minutes there are by counting each little tick as one minute, starting from the number
12. , When the minutes hand is pointing at a big number on the clock, use multiples of five to tell how many minutes there are.
For example, if the minutes hand is pointing directly at 3, you multiply 3 by 5 in order to
15. "15" is how many minutes that have passed in the current hour. , When the minutes hand is pointed in between a big number on the clock, find the nearest big number that it has passed, multiply that number by 5, and add that product to however many little ticks are in between.
There are four small ticks in between each big number.
For example, if the minutes hand is pointed right in between the 2 and the 3, go first to the
2.
Use the 2 to multiply 5, which gives us
10.
Then, count out the number of ticks it takes to get from 10 to where the minutes hand is pointed: it takes two, meaning , When the hours hand is pointed exactly at a big number on the clock, the minutes hand will always be pointed directly at
12.
This is because the hour changed, so the minutes hand is starting over again.
If the hours hand is pointed directly at 5 and the minutes clock is pointed directly at 12, that means it's 5 o'clock exactly. , The hours hand is pointed directly at the number 6, which means it's exactly 6 o'clock.
If the hours hand is pointed exactly at 6, that means that the minutes hand must be pointed directly at
12. , The minutes hand is 2 ticks beyond the
9.
So how do we figure out how many minutes there are in this hour? First, we multiply 9 by 5 to get
45.
Then we add another 2 ticks to 45, giving us
47.
We have 47 minutes in the hour. , The hours hand is in between 11 and 12, while the minutes hand is 4 ticks beyond the
3.
How do we figure out the time? First, let's tell the hour of the day.
Because the hours hand is between 11 and 12, we pick the lower number.
This means it's 11-something o'clock.
Let's do the minutes next.
We need to multiply 3 by
5.
This gives us
15.
Now we need to add the 4 ticks to 15 which gives us
19.
There are 19 minutes in the hour, and the hour is
11.
That means the time is 11:19. -
Step 3: minutes
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Step 4: and hours.
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Step 5: Look at the numbers on the clock.
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Step 6: Know that every hand on a clock travels around a circle in the same direction.
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Step 7: Look at the number that the hours hand (the small
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Step 8: thick hand) is pointing at.
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Step 9: Know that often
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Step 10: the hours hand will be pointed in between two numbers.
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Step 11: Know that if the hours hand is pointed directly at a big number
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Step 12: it's exactly that-o'clock.
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Step 13: As the hours hand points closer to a big number
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Step 14: the minutes hand gets closer to the number 12.
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Step 15: Look at the number that the minutes hand (the long
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Step 16: relatively thick hand) is pointing at.
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Step 17: Use multiples of five.
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Step 18: Tell minutes time using multiples of five
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Step 19: along with little ticks in between big numbers.
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Step 20: Know where the minutes hand is when the hours hand is pointed exactly at its number.
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Step 21: Notice where the hours hand is on this example.
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Step 22: Notice where the minutes hand is on this example.
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Step 23: Notice where the hours and minutes hands are on this example.
Detailed Guide
On this clock, you'll notice a lot of numbers and three arrows, also called hands.
One hand is very thin and moves very fast.
It's called the seconds hand.
Every time it moves, a second has gone by.
Another hand is thick and long like the seconds hand.
It's called the minutes hand.
Every time it moves one little tick, a minute has gone by.
Every 60 times it moves a whole step, an hour has gone by.
The last hand is thick, too, but smaller than the minutes hand.
It's called the hours hand.
Every time it moves one big tick, an hour has gone by.
Every 24 times it moves a whole step, a day has gone by.
Seconds, minutes, and hours are all measures of the same thing: time.
They're not the same thing, but they measure the same thing.
Every 60 seconds counts as one minute. 60 seconds, or 1 minute, is the time it takes the seconds hand to move from the number 12 all the way back again to
12.
Every 60 minutes counts as one hour. 60 minutes, or 1 hour, is the time it takes the minutes hand to move from the number 12 all the way back again to
12.
Every 24 hours counts as one day. 24 hours, or one day, is the time it takes the hours hand to move from the number 12 all the way back again to 12, and then around one more time. , You'll notice that there are a lot of numbers laid out around the clock.
They are laid out in ascending order, which means they get bigger as they move around the circle of the clock.
There are numbers going up from 1 all the way to
12. , We call this direction "clockwise." It goes in the order of the numbers, like the clock was counting up from 1 to
12.
The hands on the clock always travel this direction when they are working properly. , This will tell us the hour of the day.
The hours hand always points at the big numbers on the clock. , When it's pointed between two numbers, the hour of the day is always the lower number.
So if the hours hand is pointed between 5 and 6 on the clock, it's 5-something, because 5 is the lower number. , For example, if the small, thick hand is pointed directly at the number 9, it's exactly 9 o'clock. , When the minutes hand hits 12, the next hour starts. , This will tell us the minute of the day.
Notice the little ticks in between the big numbers.
These represent minutes, although each big number also one minute, as well as the hour.
Tell how many minutes there are by counting each little tick as one minute, starting from the number
12. , When the minutes hand is pointing at a big number on the clock, use multiples of five to tell how many minutes there are.
For example, if the minutes hand is pointing directly at 3, you multiply 3 by 5 in order to
15. "15" is how many minutes that have passed in the current hour. , When the minutes hand is pointed in between a big number on the clock, find the nearest big number that it has passed, multiply that number by 5, and add that product to however many little ticks are in between.
There are four small ticks in between each big number.
For example, if the minutes hand is pointed right in between the 2 and the 3, go first to the
2.
Use the 2 to multiply 5, which gives us
10.
Then, count out the number of ticks it takes to get from 10 to where the minutes hand is pointed: it takes two, meaning , When the hours hand is pointed exactly at a big number on the clock, the minutes hand will always be pointed directly at
12.
This is because the hour changed, so the minutes hand is starting over again.
If the hours hand is pointed directly at 5 and the minutes clock is pointed directly at 12, that means it's 5 o'clock exactly. , The hours hand is pointed directly at the number 6, which means it's exactly 6 o'clock.
If the hours hand is pointed exactly at 6, that means that the minutes hand must be pointed directly at
12. , The minutes hand is 2 ticks beyond the
9.
So how do we figure out how many minutes there are in this hour? First, we multiply 9 by 5 to get
45.
Then we add another 2 ticks to 45, giving us
47.
We have 47 minutes in the hour. , The hours hand is in between 11 and 12, while the minutes hand is 4 ticks beyond the
3.
How do we figure out the time? First, let's tell the hour of the day.
Because the hours hand is between 11 and 12, we pick the lower number.
This means it's 11-something o'clock.
Let's do the minutes next.
We need to multiply 3 by
5.
This gives us
15.
Now we need to add the 4 ticks to 15 which gives us
19.
There are 19 minutes in the hour, and the hour is
11.
That means the time is 11:19.
About the Author
Walter Roberts
Walter Roberts has dedicated 11 years to mastering education and learning. As a content creator, Walter focuses on providing actionable tips and step-by-step guides.
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