A clock is like a special kind of counter that helps us know what time it is! It uses hands to point at numbers, telling us the hour and the minutes that have passed.
The Parts of a Clock
- The Face: This is the part with all the numbers on it, usually from 1 to 12.
- The Hour Hand: This is the shorter hand and it points to the hour. So if it's pointing at the 3, it's 3 o'clock.
- The Minute Hand: This is the longer hand and it tells us how many minutes past the hour it is. Remember, there are 60 minutes in an hour!
How the Hands Move
The hands move around the clock face in a circle. They are connected to gears inside the clock that make them move slowly but steadily.
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The Minute Hand: This hand goes all the way around the clock face in one hour. There are tiny lines, or tick marks, all around the outside of the clock face, 60 in total. Each one of those lines represents one minute. So if the minute hand is pointing at the 1, that means it's 5 minutes past the hour (because each number on the clock is 5 minutes apart).
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The Hour Hand: The hour hand moves much slower. It takes 12 hours for the hour hand to go all the way around the clock face once. As the minute hand goes around, the hour hand slowly moves from one number to the next.
Telling Time
To tell time, you look at where both hands are pointing.
- Look at the Hour Hand: Find the number the hour hand is pointing at (or just past). That's the hour.
- Look at the Minute Hand: Find the number the minute hand is pointing at. Multiply that number by 5 to find out how many minutes past the hour it is.
Example: If the hour hand is pointing at the 3 and the minute hand is pointing at the 6, it's 3:30 (because 6 x 5 = 30).
In simple words:
Think of the minute hand as counting the minutes, just like counting seconds. The hour hand tells you which hour you are in. As the minute hand goes all the way around, the hour hand moves on to the next hour! That's how a clock helps us keep track of time.
