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• Method 1 of 3: Divide by 3600

There are 3600 seconds in an hour. The easiest way to convert seconds to hours is to divide the number of seconds by 3600. To understand why this conversion works, it is useful to create conversion tables, converting the number of seconds to minutes first, then the number. converts minutes to hours.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Divide by 3600

1. Determine how many seconds you have. This information should be given, or it is a number that you have calculated yourself.
   • For example, converting 2400 seconds to hours.
2. Divide the number of seconds by 3600. Note here that there are 3,600 seconds in one hour. So if you have more than 3600 seconds, it's more than one hour. If you have less than 3600 seconds, this is less than one hour.
   • For instance, ${ displaystyle { frac {2400} {3600}} = 0.6667}$Convert the decimal number to minutes. This step is useful when you are dealing with a number of seconds less than an hour, so you can estimate how long a given decimal is. To convert the decimal to minutes, multiply it by 60.
     • For instance, ${ displaystyle 0.6667 times 60 = 40}$Create a table with two columns and two rows. Label the first row "seconds" and the second row "minutes".
     • Write the number as a fraction with denominator 1 in the first column. We write a fraction with denominator 1 in the first column. In this case you compare 1 minute with the number of seconds. 1 minute = 60 seconds. So is the fraction ${ displaystyle { frac {60 ; { text {seconds}}} {1 ; { text {minute}}}}}$Enter the number of seconds you want to convert. This value will be in the first row of the second column.
       • For example, if you convert 9000 seconds to hours, you would write "9000" in the first row, second column of your table.
     • Determine the conversion factor. In this example, you are trying to determine how far the number of seconds you want to convert differs from the number of seconds in the fraction. To find the conversion factor, divide the number of seconds you are going to convert by 60, the number of seconds in the fraction with denominator 1. Write this factor, but don't include it in your table.
       • For example, if you want to convert 9000 seconds, you do ${ displaystyle { frac {9000} {60}} = 150}$Multiply the number of minutes by the conversion factor. Since the number of minutes is only 1, you just need to write the result of the number of seconds divided by 60. This will give you the conversion from seconds to minutes.
         • For instance, ${ displaystyle 1 times 150 = 150}$Convert the number of minutes to hours. You use a different conversion table with minutes and hours, instead of hours and minutes. The ratio is 60 minutes per 1 hour. In this table, use the number of minutes you are going to convert, instead of the number of seconds.
           • For example, if you converted 9000 seconds to 150 minutes, you now convert 150 minutes to the number of hours. In your table you look for the conversion factor from 60 minutes to 150 minutes. Because ${ displaystyle { frac {150} {60}} = 2.5}$Convert the following to the number of hours: 12,400 seconds.
             • Divide 12,400 by 3,600 (the number of seconds in 1 hour): ${ displaystyle { frac {12400} {3600}} = 3.4445}$Convert Karin's time to hours. She ran a 100 m sprint in 14 seconds.
               • Divide 14 by 3600: ${ displaystyle { frac {14} {3600}} = 0.0038889}$Convert 5000 seconds to hours by converting to minutes first.
                 • Create a table. In the first column you write 60 seconds per 1 minute.
                 • In the second column you write down the number of seconds you convert: 5000.
                 • Determine the conversion factor by dividing the number of seconds you convert by 60: ${ displaystyle { frac {5000} {60}} = 83.3334}$.
                 • Create another table. In the first column you enter 60 minutes per 1 hour.
                 • In the second column you write down the number of minutes you convert: 83.3334.
                 • Determine the conversion factor by dividing the number of minutes you are converting by 60: ${ displaystyle { frac {83.3334} {60}} = 1.38889}$. So ${ displaystyle 5000 ; { text {seconds}} = 83.3334 ; { text {minutes}} = 1.3889 ; { text {hours}}}$.