Telling the time

Hello, and welcome to Myriora Maths! A clock has two hands, and twelve numbers. But there are sixty minutes in an hour! Let's learn how to read any time.

The short hand is the hour hand. It moves slowly, once round in twelve hours. The long hand is the minute hand. It goes all the way round once every hour.

When the minute hand points straight up at twelve, it's something o'clock. Here, the hour hand points at three: three o'clock.

When the minute hand is halfway round, at six, it's half past. A quarter of the way round, at three, it's quarter past. And three quarters of the way round, at nine, it's quarter to the next hour.

Each number on the clock is five minutes for the minute hand. So pointing at four means four fives: twenty minutes past. Count in fives: five, ten, fifteen, twenty.

After half past, we often count the minutes to the next hour. Twenty to five is the same as four forty.

Let's try one together. The minute hand points at nine, and the hour hand is just before three. What time is it? Say it out loud!

Nine means three quarters of the way round. The hour hand hasn't reached three yet. So it's quarter to three!

Here's a question that catches lots of people. Look at this clock. The minute hand is at nine, and the hour hand is nearly at three. Some people say quarter to four, or three forty-five. But the hour hand hasn't reached three yet! It's two forty-five: quarter to three.

Your turn! The minute hand points at four, and the hour hand is just past seven. What time is it? Pick the right card. You've got twenty seconds, or pause the video. Go!

Time's up! Four on the minute hand is twenty minutes, and the hour hand has just passed seven. So it's twenty past seven: seven twenty!

Quick review. The short hand shows the hour, and the long hand shows the minutes. Each number is five minutes for the minute hand. Half past, quarter past and quarter to are halfway, a quarter and three quarters of the way round. And look where the hour hand really is. See you next time!