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.

Reading Time to Half past the Hour:

A clock has two hands.

The hour hand takes one hour to move from one number to the next. If it has gone from the number 2 to the number 3, it means one hour has passed.

The minute hand moves faster and it takes one hour to go around the clock.

When the minute hand goes from 12 to 6, it means half an hour has passed.

Look at the given clocks.

Minute hand is at 6. Hour hand is between 2 and 3. Time is 2: 30 and read as 'half past two'.

Minute hand is at 6. Hour hand is between 9 and 10. Time is 9: 30 and read as 'half past nine.'

Worksheet 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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