Courses
Courses for Kids
Free study material
Offline Centres
More
Store Icon
Store

Seconds to Minutes Conversion Explained for Students

Reviewed by:
ffImage
hightlight icon
highlight icon
highlight icon
share icon
copy icon
SearchIcon

How to Convert Seconds to Minutes: Simple Methods & Examples

Time measures act as milestones. Hours, days, and years are the three major time units. You can get seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years by measuring time. One year is made up of 365 days. A year is 52 weeks plus one day. A year has 12 months. A day has 24 hours. One hour has 60 minutes. One minute contains 60 seconds. Let us read ahead to know more about this.

Clock


Clock

How to Convert Second Into Minute?

Every minute contains 60 seconds; converting seconds to minutes is straightforward. The second-to-minute formula can be given by simply dividing the number of seconds by 60 to obtain the answer!

For Example: Convert 120 seconds into minutes.

Ans: 120 seconds $=(120 \div 60)$ minutes ( 1 minutes $=60$ seconds $)$

$=2$ minutes


Second-to-Minute Converter

Step 1: Recall that there are 60 seconds in one minute. There are always 60 seconds in every minute, regardless of where you are in the world. One minute has passed after 60 seconds have passed. Two minutes have gone after another 60 seconds (for a total of 120 seconds). Three minutes have passed after 180 seconds 60.


Step 2: To convert seconds to minutes, multiply the number of seconds by 60. A minute has gone every 60 seconds. When you divide two numbers, you get the number of times one number "fits" into the other.


Consider the question, "How many minutes have gone if 360 seconds have passed?"

We divide to find out how many 60-second chunks fit within 360 seconds.

Our answer is 6 minutes because $\frac{360}{60}=6$


For instance, how many minutes are there in 240 seconds?

60 seconds Equals 1 minute

$= \frac{240}{60}$

In 240 seconds, there are four minutes.


Step 3: By multiplying decimals by 60 , you can convert them back to seconds. The number of seconds does not always completely transfer to minutes. This number shows the number of seconds remaining. 90 seconds, for example, is 1.5 minutes $\frac{90}{60}$. This indicates that in 90 seconds, there is 1 minute plus an extra half-minute (0.5 minute). Simply increase the decimal by 60 to get back to seconds.

Answer: In 90 seconds, there is 1 minute and $30(0.5 \times 60)$ seconds.


Example: 7600 Seconds is Equal to How Many Minutes?

Ans: The steps to solve this problem is given as follows:

Step 1: 7600 divided by 60 equals $126.6$ minutes

Step 2: $0.6$ divided by 60 equals 36 seconds

So, in 7600 seconds, there are 126 minutes and 36 seconds.

Step 3: Multiply your answer by 60 to double-check your work. If you completed everything right, you should end up with the same number of seconds you started with.

Looking at the previous example, observe that $126.6 \times 60$, indicating that the answer is accurate.


Let's practice some more questions:


Example: Convert 70 Seconds Into Minutes.

Ans: To convert 70 seconds into minutes, we divide 70 by 60

$=\frac{70 }{60}$

$=\frac{7}{6} \text { minutes }$

$=1.1666 \text { minutes }$

$\therefore 70 \text { seconds }=1.166 \text { minutes }$


Example: Convert 1020 Seconds Into Minutes

Ans: 1020 seconds $=(1020 \div 60)$ minutes $(1$ minutes $=60$ seconds $)$

$=17$ minutes


Conclusion

As we have discussed earlier, there are three commonly used measurement units of time: Seconds, days, and years. Since each minute has 60 seconds, converting seconds to minutes, divide the number of seconds by 60 to get the answer in seconds. Since each minute has 60 seconds, converting seconds to minutes, divide the number of seconds by 60 to get the answer in seconds.

FAQs on Seconds to Minutes Conversion Explained for Students

1. What is the basic rule to convert seconds into minutes?

To convert seconds into minutes, you simply divide the number of seconds by 60. This fundamental rule works because there are exactly 60 seconds in every minute.

2. What is the formula used for converting seconds to minutes?

The standard formula for converting a value from seconds to minutes is:
Time in Minutes = Time in Seconds ÷ 60.
For instance, to find out how many minutes are in 180 seconds, you would calculate: 180 ÷ 60 = 3 minutes.

3. How do you convert a value like 150 seconds into a format of minutes and seconds?

To express a duration in both minutes and seconds, you use division and find the remainder. Here is the method for 150 seconds:

  • First, divide the total seconds by 60. In this case, 150 ÷ 60 gives you 2 with a remainder of 30.
  • The whole number result (2) represents the full minutes.
  • The remainder (30) represents the leftover seconds.
Therefore, 150 seconds is equal to 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

4. Can you explain the importance of the number 60 in time conversion?

The number 60 is the cornerstone of our time measurement system due to historical reasons, primarily from the ancient Babylonians who used a base-60 (sexagesimal) counting system. This is why our modern time is structured with 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour. Unlike the metric system that uses base-10 (e.g., 100 cm in 1 m), converting time units requires us to consistently use 60.

5. What is the difference between converting seconds to a decimal minute versus minutes and seconds?

The main difference is how the part of a minute is expressed.

  • Minutes and Seconds: This method keeps the leftover units as seconds. For example, 90 seconds is 1 minute and 30 seconds (90 ÷ 60 = 1 with a remainder of 30).
  • Decimal Minute: This method shows the part of a minute as a fraction of 60. For example, 90 seconds is 1.5 minutes (90 ÷ 60 = 1.5). The '0.5' represents half a minute.
Both are correct ways of representing the same duration.

6. What is the step-by-step process to convert a large number of seconds into hours?

Converting seconds directly to hours involves two steps of division. A simpler way is to first convert to minutes, then to hours. Here’s an example with 3660 seconds:

  • Step 1: Convert Seconds to Minutes. Divide the total seconds by 60.
    3660 ÷ 60 = 61 minutes.
  • Step 2: Convert Minutes to Hours. Divide the total minutes by 60.
    61 ÷ 60 = 1 with a remainder of 1.
This means 3660 seconds is equal to 1 hour and 1 minute.

7. How does a real-world problem like running a race use seconds-to-minutes conversion?

Imagine a runner completes a race in 240 seconds. To understand this timing better, we convert it to minutes. Using the formula:
Time in Minutes = 240 ÷ 60 = 4 minutes.
This tells us the runner's time was exactly 4 minutes, which is a much more common way to discuss race performance. If the time was 255 seconds, the calculation would be 255 ÷ 60 = 4 with a remainder of 15, meaning the time was 4 minutes and 15 seconds.