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Clocks

Maths: Year 3 & 4 National Curriculum, topic 2.5.2

Clocks

Humans have used clocks of some kind to tell the time for thousands of years. The round clock face with twelve numbers has to be read in a special way.

Clocks

Clocks

  • Most clock faces have things in common.
  • Twelve numbers or marks to show the hours.
  • Divisions to show minutes.
  • An hour hand which is shorter and fatter.
  • A minute hand which is longer and thinner.
  • A second hand which is thinner than the minute hand.
Clock face

Clock face

Clock hands

Clock hands

  • Clock hands rotate around the face in a clockwise direction.
  • If you start at 12 at the top of the clock, the hands move to the right.
Quartering the clock

Quartering the clock

  • We often divide the clock into quarters or halves.
  • A quarter of the clock face is a quarter of an hour or 15 minutes.
  • Half the clock face is half an hour or 30 minutes
Roman numerals

Roman numerals

  • Many clock faces use roman numerals.
  • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 →\rightarrow I, II, III, IV, V, VI
  • 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 →\rightarrow VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII

Test yourself on Clocks

  • How many minutes does a quarter of the clock face show?

  • How many minutes does half of the clock face show?

Practise this topic for free