Telling Time to the Minute

Grade 3 · Math · Study Guide

Learn to read analog and digital clocks and tell time to the nearest minute.

Telling time to the minute means you can read any time exactly — not just to the hour or half-hour. An analog clock has two main hands: the short hour hand and the long minute hand. The minute hand makes one full trip around the clock every 60 minutes.

Each number on the clock represents 5 minutes when you are reading the minute hand. So if the minute hand points to the 3, that is 15 minutes (3 × 5 = 15). If it points to the 7, that is 35 minutes (7 × 5 = 35). For times in between, count the small tick marks — each one is 1 minute.

Here is how to read a time: look at the hour hand first (the short one) to find the hour. Then look at the minute hand (the long one) and count the minutes from 12. Write the time as hour:minutes, always with two digits for the minutes. 9:05, not 9:5!

You can also say times in different ways. 3:45 can be said as "three forty-five" or "a quarter to four" (because 15 minutes before 4:00 = quarter to). 2:30 is "two-thirty" or "half past two."

Key terms

Hour hand

The short clock hand — points to the current hour.

Minute hand

The long clock hand — makes one full revolution in 60 minutes.

A.M.

Times from midnight (12:00 AM) to just before noon (11:59 AM).

P.M.

Times from noon (12:00 PM) to just before midnight (11:59 PM).

Half past

30 minutes after the hour. Half past 3 = 3:30.

Quarter to

15 minutes before the next hour. Quarter to 4 = 3:45.

Flashcards

Hour hand

Short hand — tells the hour.

Minute hand

Long hand — tells the minutes.

Minute hand at 12

Exactly on the hour — 0 minutes.

Minute hand at 6

30 minutes past the hour — half past.

Half past

30 minutes after the hour. Half past 2 = 2:30.

Quarter to

15 minutes before the next hour. Quarter to 5 = 4:45.

Practice questions

1. The hour hand points between 7 and 8, and the minute hand points to 4. What time is it?

   1. 7:04
   2. 7:20
   3. 4:07
   4. 7:40
   Show answer

   Answer: 7:20

   Minute hand at 4 = 4 × 5 = 20 minutes. Hour hand past 7, not yet at 8. Time: 7:20.

2. The minute hand pointing to the 6 means 30 minutes.

   Show answer

   Answer: True

   Minute hand at 6 = 6 × 5 = 30 minutes.

3. "Half past 9" is written as ___ on a digital clock.

   Show answer

   Answer: 9:30

   Half past 9 means 30 minutes after 9, written 9:30.

4. On an analog clock, each number on the clock face represents ___ minutes when reading the minute hand.

   1. 1 minute
   2. 5 minutes
   3. 10 minutes
   4. 15 minutes
   Show answer

   Answer: 5 minutes

   Each number on the clock face = 5 minutes. So 12 numbers × 5 = 60 minutes total.

5. What time is "quarter to 6"?

   1. 5:15
   2. 6:15
   3. 5:45
   4. 6:45
   Show answer

   Answer: 5:45

   "Quarter to 6" means 15 minutes before 6:00, which is 5:45.

Fun facts

• Before clocks were invented, people used sundials and water clocks. You could not tell the exact minute — only roughly what part of the day it was!
• The reason we have 60 minutes in an hour comes from the ancient Babylonians, who loved counting in groups of 60.

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