The Hands of TimeCount the numerals on the clock. There are only
12 hours on a clock face. So, the hour hand is a short hand.
When the minute hand is pointing to 12, read the time as oclock.
In this case, the hour hand is pointing to the 3 and it is three
oclock.
Now the minute hand is pointing to 12 and the hour hand is
pointing to the 5. So, we read the time as five oclock.
Four QuartersIf we were to slice the clock into 4 equal
sections, we would have 4 QUARTERS. Each quarter would represent a
15 minute section.
A Quarter AfterWhen the minute hand is pointing to the numeral
3, we say that the time is A quarter after/past _____. Here, the
clock shows a quarter past seven, or 7:15.
A Quarter Til/ToWhen the minute hand is pointing to the numeral
9, we say that the time is A quarter til/to _____. Here, the clock
shows a quarter to five, or 4:45.
Half PastWhen the minute hand is pointing to the numeral 6, we
say that the time is Half past _____. Here, the clock shows half
past 2, or 2:30. Notice how the hour hand is half-way in between
the 2 and the 3.
AM/PM12:00 AM is MIDNIGHT (We are sleeping)12:00 PM is NOON
(lunchtime)When we say AM, we are referring to the hours before
NOON.When we say PM, we are referring to the hours past NOON.
Important Facts About Time1 minute = 60 seconds1 hour = 60
minutes1 day = 24 hours1 half hour = 30 minutes 1 quarter hour = 15
minutes
