People usually measure short amounts of time in minutes. Sixty seconds make up a minute, while 60 minutes make up an hour. You can convert minutes into a percentage of an hour using basic division. For example, 30 minutes equals 50 percent of an hour, while 10 minutes equals about 17 percent of an hour. Calculating the percentage of an hour enables you to solve speed, time or distance problems, because speed is usually expressed in miles per hour.
1. Converting Seconds
Convert any seconds to a percentage of a minute by dividing by 60. For example, 14 minutes and 45 seconds equals 14.75 minutes, because 45/60 equals 0.75.
2. Converting Minutes
Divide the number of minutes by 60, which is the number of minutes in an hour. For example, convert 14.75 minutes to a percentage by dividing 14.75 by 60, which equals about 0.246, or 24.6 percent.
3. Converting Hours
Convert hours to minutes by multiplying by 60. For example, 50 percent of an hour equals 30 minutes, because 0.50 * 60 equals 30.
Tips
Avoid confusion by always labeling your units when solving word problems.
Tips
- Avoid confusion by always labeling your units when solving word problems.
About the Author
Rebekah Richards is a professional writer with work published in the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "Brandeis University Law Journal" and online at tolerance.org. She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University with bachelor's degrees in creative writing, English/American literature and international studies. Richards earned a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University.
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