Minutes and seconds
3 minutes is 180 seconds because 3 x 60 = 180.
Use 60 when moving between minutes and seconds.
Year 5
Convert between different units of time
Convert accurately between seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years.
Lesson overview
Time
Time units are linked by known relationships. Sixty seconds make a minute, sixty minutes make an hour, and twenty-four hours make a day. Larger units can also be converted using the facts we know.
Hours and minutes
2.5 hours is 150 minutes.
Half an hour is 30 minutes.
Weeks and days
4 weeks is 28 days.
One week is 7 days.
Worked example
Convert 2 hours 30 minutes into minutes.
- Convert the hours first: 2 hours is 120 minutes.
- Add the extra 30 minutes.
- 120 + 30 = 150.
- So 2 hours 30 minutes is 150 minutes.
Round 1: Learn it
Use the known time facts before you calculate.
Finish this round to unlock Round 2: Show you know it.
Question 1
What is 3 minutes in seconds?
Question 2
What is 2.5 hours in minutes?
Question 3
What is 4 weeks in days?
Question 4
Convert 2 hours 30 minutes into minutes.
Question 5
What is 360 seconds in minutes?
Common mistakes
Watch for these as you work through the lesson.
- Using 100 instead of 60 for minutes and seconds.
- Forgetting to split mixed time amounts into parts.
- Mixing up the direction of the conversion.
Related topics
These ideas connect closely to this lesson.
- Use all four operations to solve problems involving measure using decimal notation, including scaling.
- Solve problems involving converting between units of time and using timetables.