Reading time on an analog clock involves understanding the position of the hour and minute hands. Here's a breakdown:
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The Hour Hand: This shorter hand indicates the hour. It moves more slowly around the clock face. If the hour hand is pointing directly at the '3', it's 3 o'clock. However, if it's between two numbers, say '3' and '4', it means it's somewhere in the 3 o'clock hour (3:something).
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The Minute Hand: This longer hand indicates the minutes. The clock face is divided into 60 minutes. Each number on the clock represents 5 minutes (1 = 5 minutes, 2 = 10 minutes, 3 = 15 minutes, and so on).
- To determine the minutes, multiply the number the minute hand is pointing at by 5. For example, if the minute hand is pointing at '6', then it's 6 * 5 = 30 minutes.
- If the minute hand is not pointing directly at a number, you will need to count the small tick marks between the numbers to determine the precise number of minutes.
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Putting it Together: Combine the hour and minute readings. For instance, if the hour hand is slightly past the '3', and the minute hand is on the '6', the time is 3:30 (three thirty).
Examples:
- Hour hand on 9, minute hand on 12: 9:00
- Hour hand between 1 and 2, minute hand on 3: 1:15
- Hour hand slightly past 5, minute hand on 6: 5:30
- Hour hand nearing 11, minute hand on 9: 10:45
