Read a Watch or a Clock

The clock has two hands. The face of a clock is called the dial. The dial is marked with numbers from 1 to 12. The small hand is the hour hand. It shows time in hours. The longer hand is the minute hand. It shows time in minutes.

At 1 o'clock, the hour hand is at 1 and minute hand is at 12. It moves to next number 2 after one hour.

Hour hand takes 12 hours to complete one round.

The minute hand takes 5 minutes to move from one number to the next number in the clock.

The minute hand takes 60 minutes to complete one round on the clock.

How to read a watch or a clock?

The three figures will help us to read a watch or a clock.

Hour hand indicates hours and Minute-hand indicates minutes. 

In figure (i) hour-hand is indicating number 1 or just after 1. So, we read it as 1 hour. The minute hand indicates 4 divisions after the number 3, i.e., 3 x 5 + 4 = 19, or 19 divisions from 12. So we read it as 19 minutes.

The watch indicates that the time is 1 hour 19 minutes.

We may express it as 1 : 19.

We may say it is 19 minutes past 1.

At or after the number that the hour-hand indicates, the number expresses the hour.

At or after the number that the minute-hand indicates, the number multiplied by 5 and number of divisions after the number, express the minutes. If minute hand indicates 3 divisions after number 7, then minutes is 7 x 5 + 3 = 38 minutes.

In figure (ii) hour hand is between 3 and 4. So, we say it is 3 hours. The minute hand is 2 divisions after number 8. So, minute is 8 x 5 + 2 = 42 minutes.

The time is 3 hours 42 minutes.

We may write it as 3 : 42.

We may say it is 42 minutes past 3,

or, (60 - 42 = 18 minutes) 18 minutes to 4.

In figure (iii) expresses 8 : 35 or 35 minutes past 8 or, ( 60 - 35 = 25 minutes) 25 minutes to 9.

Read the time shown in these clocks.

	20 minutes past 2    2 : 20
	25 minutes to 6 or 35 minutes past 5 5 : 35
	Quarter past 10 or 15 minutes past 10 10 : 15
	Quarter to 5 or 45 minutes past 4 4 : 45

Reading Time to the Minute:

The clock has numbers from 1 to 12 marked on its dial. These numbers divide the clock face into 12 equal parts. Between any two numbers there are 5 small divisions. Each small division represents a minute. So, there are 60 divisions on the dial. The minute hand completes 1 round of the dial in 60 minutes.

Look at the given clock here, the minute hand points to 3 divisions after number 5. It shows that the minute hand has moved 5 × 5 + 3 or 28 minutes. So, the time shown in the given clock is 28 minutes past 3.

For Example:

Write the time shown on the given clock.

The hour hand is between 5 and 6

The minute hand is on the second small division after 8.

So, the minute hand has moved 5 × 8 + 2 = 42 minutes.

The time is 42 minutes past 5.

It is written as 5:42

Reading Time to the Second:

The thin and very long hand on the clock shows the time in seconds. This is called second hand. The second hand moves very fast. The second hand takes only 1 minute to complete 1 round of the dial. The second hand takes 5 seconds to go from one number to the next. If the second hand is at number 4. It means that 4 × 5 or 20 seconds have passed. So, 5 × 12 = 60 seconds 1 minute = 60 seconds.

Read the time in the following picture. Find out at what time Richard wakes up in the morning.

The hour hand is at 7 The minute hand is at 12 The time is 7 o'clock.

When the minute hand is at 12. We say o'clock. 

1 hour = 60 minutes.

Questions and Answers on Read a Watch or a Clock:

I. Circle the a.m. or p.m. as per the given clocks:

(i)	(ii)
8 Minutes Past in the Morning (iii) Quarter to 6 in the Evening	12:47 in the Afternoon (iv) Jogging at 5 O'clock in the Morning

Answers:

I. (i) a.m.

(ii) p.m.

(iii) p.m.

(iv) a.m.

II. How do you say 10:30 in words?

(i) Half past 30

(ii) Half past 10

(iii) Quarter to 10

(iv) Quarter past 10

Answers:

II. (ii) Half past 10

Related Concepts

● Units for Measuring Length

● Measuring Instruments

● To Measure the Length of a Line-segment

● Perimeter of a Figure

● Unit of Mass or Weight

● Examples on Unit of Mass or Weight

● Units for The Measurement of Capacity

● Examples on Measurement of Capacity

● Measurement of Time

● Read a Watch or a Clock

● Antemeridian (a.m.) or Postmeridian (p.m.)

● What Time it is?

● Time in Hours and Minutes

● 24 Hour Clock

● Units of Time

● Examples Units of Time

● Time Duration

● Calendar

● Reading and Interpreting a Calendar

● Calendar Guides us to Know

4th Grade Math Activities

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