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Minute

What Is Minute?

A minute is a unit used to measure time. One minute is equal to 60 seconds. There are 60 minutes in one hour. People use minutes to measure short periods of time in daily life. For example, you might boil an egg for 5 minutes, wait 10 minutes for a bus, or listen to a 3 minute song.

The word minute can also be used in measuring angles. In that case it is called an arcminute. One arcminute is a small part of a circle, but in everyday life most people mean time when they say minute.

Definition

Time minute: A minute is a unit of time equal to exactly 60 seconds. It is one sixtieth of an hour.

Mathematical form:

  • 1 minute = 60 seconds
  • 1 hour = 60 minutes
  • 1 day = 24 hours = 1,440 minutes

Angle minute or arcminute: An arcminute is a unit for measuring angles. One degree is split into 60 equal parts. Each part is 1 arcminute.

  • 1 degree = 60 arcminutes
  • 1 arcminute = 1 or 60 of a degree

History / Origin

The idea of the minute comes from very old number systems that used the number 60. Long ago, people in Mesopotamia, such as the Babylonians, liked to count in groups of 60. This is called a base 60 system.

Later, when people needed better ways to tell time, they divided an hour into 60 equal parts and called each part a minute. Then each minute was split again into 60 seconds. This system was slowly spread and used in clocks across many countries.

As mechanical clocks improved in Europe, the minute hand was added. This made it easy to see minutes on a clock face. Over time, the 60 second minute became the normal way to talk about short times almost everywhere in the world.

For angles, the same idea was used. One circle has 360 degrees. Each degree was divided into 60 smaller parts called minutes, and each of those into 60 seconds.

Symbol & Abbreviation

For time, the minute is usually written with these short forms:

  • min is the most common symbol in writing and science, for example 15 min
  • m is sometimes used in informal notes, but it can be confused with meter, so min is safer
  • In speech, people just say minute, minutes, or minit in quick speech

For angles, the arcminute uses a small mark after the number:

  • ′ (a single prime mark) after the number, for example 30′ means 30 arcminutes
  • An angle can be written with degrees and arcminutes, for example 45° 30′ means forty five degrees and thirty arcminutes

To avoid confusion, remember:

  • min is for time
  • the little mark ′ is for angle minutes

Current Use Around the World

Minutes are used everywhere in the world in daily life. No matter what language people speak, they plan many activities in minutes.

Common uses of time minutes:

  • Clocks and watches show minutes so people know the exact time.
  • School and work schedules use minutes, such as a 45 minute lesson or a 30 minute meeting.
  • Travel and transport times are given in minutes, for example 15 minutes by train or 8 minutes by car.
  • Sports use minutes to time games and races, for example a 90 minute football match.
  • Cooking recipes often say to bake or boil food for a certain number of minutes.
  • Phones and internet call times and some services are charged per minute.

Use in science and technology:

  • Scientists often measure short experiments in seconds and minutes.
  • Astronomers use arcminutes and arcseconds to describe positions in the sky.
  • GPS and maps sometimes show latitude and longitude in degrees, minutes, and seconds.

Even though the second is the main standard unit of time in science, the minute is still widely accepted and used because it is easy for people to understand.

Example Conversions

Here are some simple conversions using time minutes.

Minutes to seconds

  • 1 minute = 60 seconds
  • 2 minutes = 120 seconds
  • 5 minutes = 300 seconds
  • 10 minutes = 600 seconds
  • 30 minutes = 1,800 seconds
  • 60 minutes = 3,600 seconds

Minutes to hours

  • 1 minute = 1 or 60 hour
  • 15 minutes = 15 or 60 hour = 1 or 4 hour
  • 30 minutes = 30 or 60 hour = 1 or 2 hour
  • 45 minutes = 45 or 60 hour = 3 or 4 hour
  • 60 minutes = 1 hour

Hours to minutes

  • 0.5 hour = 30 minutes
  • 1 hour = 60 minutes
  • 1.5 hours = 90 minutes
  • 2 hours = 120 minutes
  • 3 hours = 180 minutes

Minutes in larger times

  • 1 day = 24 hours = 1,440 minutes
  • 1 week = 7 days = 10,080 minutes

Example daily situations

  • A cartoon episode might last 20 minutes.
  • A short walk to school might take 10 minutes.
  • Brushing your teeth should take at least 2 minutes.

The minute is closely linked with these other time and angle units:

  • Second (s) basic unit of time in science. 60 seconds in 1 minute.
  • Hour (h) larger time unit. 60 minutes in 1 hour.
  • Day 24 hours in 1 day, so 1,440 minutes.
  • Millisecond (ms) very small time unit. 1,000 milliseconds in 1 second, so 60,000 milliseconds in 1 minute.
  • Microsecond (µs) even smaller. 1,000,000 microseconds in 1 second.
  • Degree (for angles) larger angle unit. 1 degree = 60 arcminutes.
  • Arcsecond (for angles) smaller angle unit. 1 arcminute = 60 arcseconds.

FAQs

How many seconds are in one minute?

There are exactly 60 seconds in one minute. This is the same everywhere in the world and is part of the standard way we measure time.

How many minutes are in one hour?

There are 60 minutes in one hour. So if you know the hours, you can multiply by 60 to find the minutes. For example, 3 hours is 3 × 60 = 180 minutes.

Why does a minute have 60 seconds, not 100?

This comes from very old number systems that used 60 instead of 10. The Babylonians used a base 60 system. When people created time units, they followed this pattern and kept 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour.

Is a minute an official SI unit?

The second is the basic SI unit for time. The minute is not a base SI unit, but it is officially accepted for use with SI. It is used in science, engineering, and everyday life because it is practical and easy to understand.

What is an arcminute and how is it different from a time minute?

A time minute measures time. An arcminute measures angles. One arcminute is 1 or 60 of a degree of angle and is written with a small mark, for example 10′. An arcminute does not measure time.

How can I quickly estimate minutes in my head?

To go from hours to minutes, multiply by 60. To go from minutes to hours, divide by 60. You can also remember that 30 minutes is half an hour, and 15 minutes is a quarter of an hour. These simple facts help you estimate time easily.

What is half a minute and three quarters of a minute?

Half a minute is 30 seconds. Three quarters of a minute is 45 seconds. These small parts of a minute are often used in sports and fast events.

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