Learning About the Clock (Quarters of an Hour)

Here you will learn about the time in terms of quarters of an hour. The word quarter means one fourth, so when we talk about a quarter of an hour, we mean one fourth of an hour, which is $15$ minutes.

On a digital clock, we say that the time is a quarter to or past something when the last number is either $15$ or $45$. When the last number is $15$, we say that the time is a quarter past the hour we’re in. If the last number is $45$, we say that the time is a quarter to the next hour.

An analog clock shows a quarter to or past something when the minute hand points at $3$ or $9$. In the same ways as we did with the digital clock, we say that the time is “a quarter to” or “a quarter past” some hour. The time is a quarter past the current hour when the minute hand points at $3$. When the minute hand points at $9$, the time is a quarter to the next hour. Below you can see a couple of examples of times.

Can you see the connection between the images and what you read about quarters of an hour? Here are some examples for you to try.