How can you find elapsed time?

You can find elapsed time by subtracting the start time from the end time.

To elaborate, calculating elapsed time involves determining the duration between a beginning point and an ending point. This is often done when measuring the length of an event, a process, or any activity with a defined start and finish.

Here’s a breakdown of the process:

1. Identify the Start Time: Determine the exact time the event or activity began. This should include hours, minutes, and potentially seconds, depending on the required precision.

2. Identify the End Time: Determine the exact time the event or activity finished. This should also include the same units of time as the start time (hours, minutes, seconds).

3. Subtract the Start Time from the End Time: Perform the subtraction, ensuring you correctly handle the different units of time.

   • Example:
     • End Time: 5:45
     • Start Time: 3:15
     • Elapsed Time: 5:45 - 3:15 = 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Here's a more complex example involving different dates:

Suppose an event starts on October 1, 2023, at 10:00 AM and ends on October 5, 2023, at 2:00 PM.

1. Convert Dates and Times to a Single Unit (Optional but Helpful for Complex Calculations): While not always necessary, you could convert both times to minutes from a fixed point (e.g., start of the year) to simplify the subtraction, especially when dealing with different days and months.

2. Calculate the Difference:

   • From Oct 1, 10:00 AM to Oct 5, 10:00 AM: 4 days = 4 * 24 hours = 96 hours.
   • From Oct 5, 10:00 AM to Oct 5, 2:00 PM: 4 hours.
   • Total Elapsed Time: 96 hours + 4 hours = 100 hours.

In summary, finding elapsed time relies on accurately identifying the start and end times and then performing the subtraction. The complexity of the calculation may vary depending on the format of the time data and whether the event spans multiple days, months, or years.