Elapsed Time Adventure
How long did it take? Use analog clocks and a number line to count up from the start time to the end time. A step-by-step strategy makes elapsed time easy.
Elapsed Time Basics
What Is Elapsed Time?
Elapsed time is the amount of time that passes from a start point to an end point. If soccer practice starts at 3:00 PM and ends at 4:30 PM, the elapsed time is 1 hour and 30 minutes.
You can find elapsed time on a clock by counting forward from the start time until you reach the end time.
Number Line Strategy
The number line jump strategy makes elapsed time easier:
- Start at the beginning time on the number line
- Hop forward in easy chunks, hours first
- Then hop the remaining minutes
- Add up all your hops to get the total elapsed time
AM and PM
AM comes from the Latin words meaning "before noon." All times from midnight (12:00 AM) until just before noon are AM times.
PM means "after noon." All times from noon (12:00 PM) until just before midnight are PM times. Noon itself is 12:00 PM.
Cross the Hour
When you need to count through an hour mark, break the jump into two parts. From 11:45 AM to 12:30 PM, first hop 15 minutes to reach noon, then hop 30 more minutes to reach 12:30 PM.
This "bridging through the hour" trick works for any hour mark, including crossing from AM to PM at noon.
