Fin and Snoot learn how to tell the time.
NARRATOR: Hello Snoot, hello Fin.
BOTH: (ALIEN LANGUAGE)
NARRATOR: I see you’re at the intergalactic market.
Do you see anything you like?
SNOOT: (ALIEN LANGUAGE)
NARRATOR: What’s that?
On planet Earth, that’s what we call an alarm clock.
SNOOT: Er… Uh…
NARRATOR: It helps us humans tell the time.
SNOOT: Hm…
NARRATOR: Let me explain.
Human time is divided into minutes and hours.
1 hour is 60 minutes.
Half an hour is 30 minutes and a quarter of an hour is 15 minutes.
Right now the time is 9:45, which is also known as a quarter to 10, because it’s a quarter of an hour until 10 o’clock.
BOTH: Aha!
NARRATOR: So, can you tell me what the time will be in 20 minutes?
SNOOT: Erm… Mm…
NARRATOR: Let me help.
In human time, when the number of minutes reaches 60, we add 1 to the number of hours and the minutes go back to zero.
So, if you want to add 20 minutes to 9:45, it can be easier to split the 20 into a 15 and a 5.
If you add 15 to 45, you get 60, which means we add one more hour and make the minutes go back to zero, making it 10 o’clock.
Then you need to add the 5 left over, which gives you the time of 10:05.
BOTH: Aha!
(RINGING)
NARRATOR: Don’t worry, that’s just the alarm going off.
(SMASH)
Fin!
Looks like if you break it you pay for it…
(RINGING)
Oh dear.
What is bridging through 60?
Remember that there are 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour.
Bridging through 60 can help when you have to add times that are more than one whole minute (60 seconds) or one whole hour (60 minutes).
Here's what to do.
Work out what you need to add to your first time to make 60. Take this from your second time.
What do you have left? Add what is left to 60. That's the end of your answer.
Remember that when you bridge through 60 you need to add 1 to the minutes if you are bridging through 60 seconds or add 1 to the hours if you are bridging through 60 minutes.
Example
What time is it half an hour after 10:40am?
Remember that half an hour is 30 minutes (half of 60 minutes).
Work out 40 + ? = 60.
The answer is 20.
Take this away from your second time. 30 - 20 = 10.
So your answer ends with 10.
Remember that you need to add 1 to the hours because you have bridged through 60 minutes.
10:40am + 30minutes = 11:10am
Quiz
Which way round should I add two numbers? videoWhich way round should I add two numbers?
Fin and Snoot add up some of their favourite snacks: space grubs and astro bugs.

How can reordering numbers into number bonds help me add them? videoHow can reordering numbers into number bonds help me add them?
Snoot and Fin rearrange numbers and make number bonds when adding moons.

Find more 1st Level resources from BBC Bitesize
First Level is a stage of Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence.

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