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Looking to convert seconds to minutes? That's a piece of cake! We're going to walk you through this super simple equation step by step—and we’ll give you an easy calculator and conversion table so that you can turn seconds into minutes in no time at all. Plus, we'll even include some practice problems to help you sharpen your skills. Ready to get started? Scroll down to learn everything you need to know!
Steps
How to Convert Seconds to Minutes
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Divide the number of seconds by 60. There are 60 seconds in 1 minute. So, all you need to do is divide your number of seconds by 60 to get the equivalent number of minutes. For example, if 360 seconds have passed, how many minutes have passed? To answer this, we need to know how many 60-second periods are in 360 seconds. To calculate this, solve for 360 ÷ 60. The answer for this example is 6, so there are 6 minutes in 360 seconds.[1]
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If you end up with a decimal, multiply the right side of the number by 60. When you divide by 60, you won’t always end up with a whole number (e.g., 10, 15, 20, etc.). Sometimes, you’ll end up with a decimal (e.g., 10.5, 15.25, 20.05, etc.). In this case, the whole number represents the number of whole minutes in your seconds. The decimal part (on the right side of the period) is the number of seconds left over. To convert this decimal part back into seconds, multiply it by 60 for a complete conversion.
- For example, let’s say you want to convert 7600 seconds to minutes. If you use our formula to calculate 7600 ÷ 60, you’ll get 126.6.
- We now know that we have 126 minutes, but the 0.6 portion isn’t very useful in terms of telling time.
- So, multiply 0.6 by 60 to turn it back into seconds → 60 x 0.6 = 36 seconds.
- Now, you have a final answer of 126 minutes and 36 seconds.
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Check your work by multiplying your answer by 60. Multiply your final answer by 60. If you did everything correctly, you should end up with the same number of seconds that you started with. For instance, with the previous example, we can multiply 126.6 x 60 to get 7600, meaning our answer is correct![2]
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If you want to convert your minutes to hours, divide by 60 again. There are also 60 minutes in an hour, so we use the same process, dividing by 60, to determine how many seconds are in an hour.[3]
- For example, let’s say you want to know how many hours there are in 7200 seconds.
- Divide 7200 ÷ 60 = 120 minutes.
- Divide 120 ÷ 60 = 2 hours.
- Answer: 7200 seconds equals 2 hours.
Converting Seconds to Minutes: Conversion Table
| Seconds | Minutes (unsimplified) | Minutes (simplified) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 second | 0.016667 minutes | 0 minutes 1 seconds |
| 2 seconds | 0.033333 minutes | 0 minutes 2 seconds |
| 3 seconds | 0.05 minutes | 0 minutes 3 seconds |
| 4 seconds | 0.066667 minutes | 0 minutes 4 seconds |
| 5 seconds | 0.083333 minutes | 0 minutes 5 seconds |
| 6 seconds | 0.1 minutes | 0 minutes 6 seconds |
| 7 seconds | 0.116667 minutes | 0 minutes 7 seconds |
| 8 seconds | 0.133333 minutes | 0 minutes 8 seconds |
| 9 seconds | 0.15 minutes | 0 minutes 9 seconds |
| 10 seconds | 0.166667 minutes | 0 minutes 10 seconds |
| 20 seconds | 0.333333 minutes | 0 minutes 20 seconds |
| 30 seconds | 0.5 minutes | 0 minutes 30 seconds |
| 40 seconds | 0.666667 minutes | 0 minutes 40 seconds |
| 50 seconds | 0.833333 minutes | 0 minutes 50 seconds |
| 60 seconds | 1 minute | 1 minute |
| 70 seconds | 1.1667 minutes | 1 minute 10 seconds |
| 80 seconds | 1.3333 minutes | 1 minute 20 seconds |
| 90 seconds | 1.5 minutes | 1 minute 30 seconds |
| 100 seconds | 1.6667 minutes | 1 minute 40 seconds |
| 500 seconds | 8.3333 minutes | 8 minutes 20 seconds |
| 1,000 seconds | 16.67 minutes | 16 minutes 40 seconds |
| 10,000 seconds | 166.67 minutes | 166 minutes 40 seconds |
| 50,000 seconds | 833.33333 minutes | 833 minutes 20 seconds |
| 100,000 seconds | 1666.6667 minutes | 1666 minutes 40 seconds |
Additional Resources
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow can I change 560 seconds into minutes?
Community AnswerFollow the directions. Divide 560 by 60 to get 9.33333... Subtract the whole number (9) so you're just left with the .33333... part. Multiply by that by 60 to get 20. Your answer is 9 minutes 20 seconds. -
QuestionDo I divide or multiply?
Community AnswerMultiply by 60 if you want to convert minutes to seconds and by 3600 if converting hours to seconds -
QuestionHow can I find minutes from fractions?
Community AnswerIf you mean fractions of an hour, you multiply by sixty then multiply by the fraction, e.g. 3/4 of an hour = 60 X3 then divide by 4 = 45 minutes.
Video
Tips
References
- ↑ https://www.khanacademy.org/math/cc-fourth-grade-math/imp-measurement-and-data-2/imp-converting-units-of-time/a/converting-units-of-time-review
- ↑ https://www.khanacademy.org/math/cc-fourth-grade-math/imp-measurement-and-data-2/imp-converting-units-of-time/a/converting-units-of-time-review
- ↑ https://www.bipm.org/documents/20126/41483022/SI-Brochure-9-EN.pdf
- ↑ https://www.ptb.de/cms/en/ptb/fachabteilungen/abt4/fb-44/fragenzurzeit/fragenzurzeit14.html
- ↑ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/minute
- ↑ https://www.rapidtables.com/calc/time/minutes-in-day.html
- ↑ https://preply.com/en/question/how-many-seconds-in-a-day-40928
About This Article
To convert seconds to minutes, divide the number of seconds by 60, since there are 60 seconds in a minute. If you get a decimal in your answer, multiply only the decimal part by 60. For example, if you get 1.6 minutes as an answer, you'd multiply .6 by 60 to get 36 seconds, and your final answer would be 1 minute and 36 seconds. For example problems and ways to check your work, read on!
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