Time Goes On
Clocks, Calendars, and the Sequence of Time Units
Time never stops! Learn how to read an analog clock, understand the basic units of time—from hours to months—and navigate the calendar to track days and events.
How to Use This Demo
- Select a concept below to explore time measurements.
- Learn the parts of a clock and how to read the **hour and minute hands**.
- Understand the relationship between **hours, days, weeks, and months**.
- Use the **Classification** module to sort time units by duration.
- Test your time-telling skills with the **Practice Quiz** button.
Observation:
Time is measured in a hierarchical way, starting with seconds and building up to minutes, hours, days, and years. Clocks and calendars are essential tools for organizing our lives around this sequence.
The Structure of Time Measurement
Units of Time:
The standard conversion rates for fundamental units are:
| Unit | Contains | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Minute | 60 seconds | Smallest unit we often use. |
| 1 Hour | 60 minutes | The hour hand moves slowly (1 revolution in 12 hours). |
| 1 Day | 24 hours | One full rotation of the Earth. |
| 1 Week | 7 days | A repeating cycle on the calendar. |
| 1 Year | 12 months / 365 days | One full orbit of the Earth around the Sun. |
Reading the Clock:
Analog clocks have two main hands:
- **Short Hand (Hour Hand):** Points to the number for the hour.
- **Long Hand (Minute Hand):** Points to the minutes (count by 5s from 12).
- **O'Clock:** When the minute hand points exactly to 12.
- **Half Past:** When the minute hand points exactly to 6 (30 minutes past).
Using the Calendar:
Calendars organize days into weeks and months. They help us track the sequence of events and the number of days between two dates.
Months can have 30 days (Sept, April, June, Nov) or 31 days (Jan, Mar, May, July, Aug, Oct, Dec). February has 28 or 29 days.
