Minute

A minute is a measurement of time based on the second, which is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). It is technically not an SI unit, but is used in SI alongside the second, hour, and other measurements of time.

1 minute (min) = 60 seconds (s)

60 min = 1 hour (h) = 3600 s

1440 min = 24h = 1 day (d)

As shown above, the unit minute is typically abbreviated as "min" but in some cases, particularly in the case of longitude and latitude, a minute is denoted using the prime symbol as 60 min = 60'. Similarly, a second in the same context is denoted as a double prime: 1' = 60". Furthermore, a minute is equal to of a degree. Or:

60 min = 1°

Minutes on a clock

Minutes are one of the key units used in how we measure time today. On a clock there are typically two or three hands that indicate hour, minute, and second. The minute hand and second hand (if present) are longer than the hour hand. In some cases the second hand will look visually different (painted red for example) so that it can be distinguished from the minute hand, as in the figure below:

There are 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute, and 60 tick marks on a clock. Both seconds and minutes share these tick marks. Hours do as well, but only the 12 large tick marks are used to determine what hour it is on a clock.

Whatever tick mark the minute hand points to on the clock indicates what minute of the hour it is. To learn more about how to tell time on a clock, refer to the time page.