Elapsed Time Within One Hour

Elapsed time within one hour

When the start time and end time are less than an hour apart, you can find the elapsed time by counting forward from the starting time to the ending time.

1) Look at the clock carefully

Identify the hour and the minutes in both times. If the ending minutes are smaller than the starting minutes, you may need to borrow 1 hour and work with 60 minutes.

2) Subtract the minutes

Find the difference between the minute parts. If needed, convert 1 hour into 60 minutes first so the subtraction is possible.

3) Subtract the hours

After adjusting minutes, subtract the hour parts.

4) Write the result in a simple form

State the elapsed time in minutes, or in hours and minutes if that is the clearest form. Simplify the final answer.

Quick check

Add the elapsed time back to the starting time. If you reach the ending time, your answer is correct.

Example method

For a start time like 2:35 and an end time like 3:10, think: from 2:35 to 3:00 is 25 minutes, then from 3:00 to 3:10 is 10 more minutes. Total: 35 minutes.