The little hand is the shortest. It is used to indicate the hours. It goes around the clock every 12 hours.
The big hand is longer than the little hand. It is used to indicate the minutes. It goes around the clock every 60 minutes (1 hour).
The seconds hand is the fastest. It is used to indicate the seconds. It goes around the clock in just 60 seconds (1 minute).
If you need a refresher on the units to measure time, read the concept sheet Units of Time.
A day lasts 24 hours.
To better understand how a clock works, you can divide the day into 2 parts.
Each part has the same number of hours.
The first part of the day begins at midnight (12:00 a.m.) and ends at 11 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds a.m.
The second part of the day begins at noon (12:00 p.m.) and ends at 11 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds p.m. Therefore, the hour hand revolves around the clock twice every day.
The dots or small lines around the clock each represent 1 minute. The minute hand passes through all 60 points or lines to go around the clock in 1 hour (60 minutes).
There are many types of clocks. Sometimes you may have to use your imagination to complete a clock that is missing certain elements.
