What Is Hour?
An hour is a basic unit of time. One hour is the same as 60 minutes or 3,600 seconds. People all around the world use hours to plan their day, set timetables, and measure how long things take.
Definition
An hour is a unit used to measure time length.
- 1 hour = 60 minutes
- 1 minute = 60 seconds
- So 1 hour = 60 × 60 = 3,600 seconds
On an ordinary clock, the short hand shows the hour. When the minute hand goes all the way around the clock once, one full hour has passed.
History / Origin
The idea of the hour is very old.
- Ancient people, like the Egyptians, watched the Sun to tell time. They divided daytime into 12 parts and nighttime into 12 parts. This gave 24 parts in a full day, which later became 24 hours.
- At first, these hours did not always have the same length. Summer hours could be longer than winter hours, because days are longer in summer.
- When mechanical clocks were invented in the Middle Ages, hours became equal. Each hour had the same length, no matter the season.
- Today we use a standard system where every full day is exactly 24 equal hours.
This equal hour system is part of the way we measure time across the whole Earth.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The most common symbol and short forms for hour are:
- h is the main symbol used in science and on many devices, for example 2 h means 2 hours.
- hr is a common text abbreviation, for example 3 hr.
- hrs or h can both show the plural, for example 5 hrs or 5 h.
When writing times on a 24 hour clock, people often write things like 14:00 to show 2 o clock in the afternoon. The number before the colon shows the hour.
Current Use Around the World
The hour is used everywhere in daily life. Some common uses are:
- Clocks and watches show the hour of the day so people can meet on time.
- School schedules divide the day into lesson hours and breaks.
- Work and pay often use hourly pay or track hours worked in a week.
- Travel and transport use hours for flight times, train times, and driving time.
- Sports and exercise use hours to time games, training, and races.
- Technology uses hours to show battery life, video length, download time, and more.
Time zones around the world are also usually spaced by 1 hour differences from a main time called Coordinated Universal Time, written as UTC.
Example Conversions
You can change hours into other time units and back again. Here are some simple examples.
Hours to minutes
- 1 hour = 60 minutes
- 2 hours = 2 × 60 = 120 minutes
- 3.5 hours = 3.5 × 60 = 210 minutes
- 0.5 hour = 0.5 × 60 = 30 minutes
Hours to seconds
- 1 hour = 3,600 seconds
- 2 hours = 2 × 3,600 = 7,200 seconds
- 0.25 hour = 0.25 × 3,600 = 900 seconds
Hours to days
- 1 day = 24 hours
- 12 hours = 12 ÷ 24 = 0.5 day
- 48 hours = 48 ÷ 24 = 2 days
Real life examples
- A movie might be 2 hours long, which is 120 minutes.
- A school day might be 6 hours, which is 360 minutes.
- If you sleep 8 hours, that is one third of a 24 hour day.
Related Units
The hour is part of a family of time units. These are closely related to it:
- Second (s) the smallest common time unit in daily life. 60 seconds make 1 minute.
- Minute (min) 60 seconds. 60 minutes make 1 hour.
- Day (d) 24 hours. A full spin of the Earth on its axis.
- Week 7 days, so 7 × 24 = 168 hours.
- Month a period based on how the Moon moves around Earth, usually about 28 to 31 days.
- Year about 365 days. The time the Earth takes to go once around the Sun.
In science, the second is the base unit of time, but hours and days are easier for people to use in everyday life.
FAQs
Q: How many minutes are in an hour?
A: There are 60 minutes in 1 hour.
Q: How many seconds are in an hour?
A: There are 3,600 seconds in 1 hour, because 60 minutes × 60 seconds per minute = 3,600 seconds.
Q: Why is a day 24 hours long?
A: Long ago, people divided both day and night into 12 parts each, giving 24 parts in total. These parts later became the 24 equal hours we use today.
Q: What is the symbol for hour?
A: The most common symbol is h. You might also see hr or hrs in everyday writing.
Q: What is a 24 hour clock?
A: A 24 hour clock shows the full day from 00:00 at midnight to 23:59 just before the next midnight. For example, 14:00 is 2 o clock in the afternoon.
Q: How many hours are in a week?
A: There are 7 days in a week and 24 hours in a day, so 7 × 24 = 168 hours in a week.
Q: How can I quickly change hours to minutes in my head?
A: Multiply the number of hours by 60. For example, 4 hours is 4 × 60 = 240 minutes. For half an hour, use 30 minutes, and for a quarter of an hour, use 15 minutes.
