Telling the time

In a nutshell

The big hand of an analogue clock represents how many minutes have gone past the hour. The small hand represents which hour it is, and its angle shows how much of the hour has gone by. The thinnest hand shows how many seconds of the minute have gone by.

Analogue clocks

An analogue clock has $$3$$ hands and a dial.

All hands move in the direction of the numbers from $$1$$ to $$12$$ - clockwise. The following table shows each hand, and what it does:

On the dial, the features of the long lines and small lines with regards to the hands can be seen below:

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Telling the time from an analogue clock

Procedure

Note: Some clocks use Roman numerals instead of numbers to represent the times $$1 - 12$$, or $$\text{I } - \text{XII}$$.  These clocks can be read the same way, but require you to understand how to read Roman numerals.

Certain phrases are also used to describe the time. These can be seen from the table below:

Typically for minutes between $$0$$ and $$30$$ the time is described as ... minutes past, and for minutes between $$30$$ and $$60$$ the time is described as $$(60 - ...)$$ minutes to.

Example 1

Write down the times shown from the following clocks:

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The first clock shows a time of $$3$$​ hours and $$45$$​ minutes, and so is $$\underline{\text{a quarter to } 4}$$.

The second clock shows a time of $$6$$​ hours and $$30$$​ minutes, and so is $$\underline{\text{half past } 6}$$​​.

Digital clocks

Digital clocks do not have a dial nor hands, and they only show numbers to represent the time. The time is represented as HH:MM:SS where each pair shows the current hour, minute or second.

Example 2

What is the time shown on the following digital clock: 08:45:33?

The clock shows a time of $$\underline{8 \text{ hours and } 45 \text{ minutes and } 33 \text{ seconds}}$$.

On a $$24$$-hour clock, the hour varies between $$0$$ and $$24$$ with hours between $$0$$ and $$12$$representing the first half of the day, and hours between $$12$$ and $$24$$​ representing the later half of the day. 

Example 3

What is the time shown on the following digital clock: 18:25:59?

$$18 -12 =6$$

Hence, the clock shows a time of $$\underline{6 \text{ hours and } 25 \text{ minutes and } 59 \text{ seconds in the afternoon}}$$.

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