Seconds to Minutes Converter (Plus Step-by-Step Instructions)

Looking to convert seconds to minutes? That's a piece of cake! We're going to walk you through this super simple equation step by step—and we’ll give you an easy calculator and conversion table so that you can turn seconds into minutes in no time at all. Plus, we'll even include some practice problems to help you sharpen your skills. Plus, physics teacher Joseph Quinones explains how to use dimensional analysis to solve the conversion. Let’s get started!

Calculating Seconds to Minutes (Calculator)

Use this conversion calculator to convert seconds to minutes..

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How do you convert seconds to minutes?

Physics teacher Joseph Quinones explains that you can convert minutes to seconds by using the formula X seconds * 1 minute / 60 seconds. This works out the same as dividing by 60. The seconds cancel out, leaving you with the answer in minutes.

Section 1 of 8:

How to Convert Seconds to Minutes

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There are 60 seconds in 1 minute. So, all you need to do is divide your number of seconds by 60 to get the equivalent number of minutes. For example, if 360 seconds have passed, how many minutes have passed? To answer this, we need to know how many 60-second periods are in 360 seconds. To calculate this, solve for 360 ÷ 60. The answer for this example is 6, so there are 6 minutes in 360 seconds.^{[1]
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Meet the wikiHow Expert

Joseph Quinones is a high school physics teacher who specializes in astronomy and astrophysics. He’s passionate about science outreach and making physics and STEM accessible to more students.
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If you end up with a decimal, multiply the right side of the number by 60. When you divide by 60, you won’t always end up with a whole number (e.g., 10, 15, 20, etc.). Sometimes, you’ll end up with a decimal (e.g., 10.5, 15.25, 20.05, etc.). In this case, the whole number represents the number of whole minutes in your seconds. The decimal part (on the right side of the period) is the number of seconds left over. To convert this decimal part back into seconds, multiply it by 60 for a complete conversion.
- For example, let’s say you want to convert 7600 seconds to minutes. If you use our formula to calculate 7600 ÷ 60, you’ll get 126.6.
- We now know that we have 126 minutes, but the 0.6 portion isn’t very useful in terms of telling time.
- So, multiply 0.6 by 60 to turn it back into seconds → 60 x 0.6 = 36 seconds.
- Now, you have a final answer of 126 minutes and 36 seconds.
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Multiply your final answer by 60. If you did everything correctly, you should end up with the same number of seconds that you started with. For instance, with the previous example, we can multiply 126.6 x 60 to get 7600, meaning our answer is correct!^{[2]
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If you want to convert your minutes to hours, divide by 60 again. There are also 60 minutes in an hour, so we use the same process, dividing by 60, to determine how many seconds are in an hour.^{[3]
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- For example, let’s say you want to know how many hours there are in 7200 seconds.
- Divide 7200 ÷ 60 = 120 minutes.
- Divide 120 ÷ 60 = 2 hours.
- Answer: 7200 seconds equals 2 hours.

Section 2 of 8:

Converting Seconds to Minutes: Dimensional Analysis

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Using an equation can help you dive deep into the math behind the conversion. Quinones says, "To convert units, specifically from seconds to minutes, you can use a technique called dimensional analysis,” which will “ensure you have the correct units at the end” (in this case, minutes).^{[4]
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Joseph Quinones
Physics Teacher

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- “First, we identify the conversions and their conversion factor,” says Quinones. “The conversion factor from seconds to minutes is 1 minute = 60 seconds.” This looks like 1 minute / 60 seconds.^{[5]
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- “Second, we multiply the conversion factor by the amount of seconds we wish to turn into minutes,” Quinones says. So to convert 20 seconds, we’d write 20 seconds * 1 minute / 60 seconds.^{[6]
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- Finally, Quinones says to multiply the numbers: “The seconds go into the numerator, giving you seconds * minutes. The denominator will have seconds. While we’re doing multiplication, we cancel out like terms, thus the seconds cancel out from the numerator and denominator, leaving you with minutes.”^{[7]
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- The final result is 20/60 minutes = 0.3333 minutes. “Since I used 20 seconds in my example and it takes 60 seconds for a minute, it should make sense that you should have less than a minute (a fraction) as your result,” Quinones explains.^{[8]
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Section 3 of 8:

Converting Seconds to Minutes: Practice Problems

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Practice Problem #1 How many minutes are in 240 seconds?
- Solution:
  - 240 ÷ 60 = 4
  - There are 4 minutes in 240 seconds.
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Practice Problem #2 How many minutes are in 90 seconds?
- Solution:
  - 90 ÷ 60 = 1.5 minutes.
  - 0.5 x 60 = 30 seconds.
  - There are 1 minute and 30 seconds in 90 seconds.
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Practice Problem #3 Convert 45667 seconds to minutes.
- Solution:
  - 45667 ÷ 60 = 761.12
  - 0.12 x 60 ≈ 7
  - There are 761 minutes and 7 seconds in 45667 seconds.
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Practice Problem #4 Convert 99800 seconds to minutes.
- Solution:
  - 99800 ÷ 60 = 1,663.33
  - 0.33 x 60 ≈ 20
  - There are 1,663 minutes and 20 seconds in 99800 seconds.
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Practice Problem #5 Convert 4454457555 seconds to minutes.
- Solution:
  - 4454457555 ÷ 60 = 74,240,959.25
  - 0.25 x 60 ≈ 15
  - There are 74,240,959 minutes and 15 seconds in 4454457555 seconds.

Section 4 of 8:

Converting Seconds to Minutes: Conversion Table

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| Seconds | Minutes (unsimplified) | Minutes (simplified) | | ----- | ----- | ----- | | 1 second | 0.016667 minutes | 0 minutes 1 seconds | | 2 seconds | 0.033333 minutes | 0 minutes 2 seconds | | 3 seconds | 0.05 minutes | 0 minutes 3 seconds | | 4 seconds | 0.066667 minutes | 0 minutes 4 seconds | | 5 seconds | 0.083333 minutes | 0 minutes 5 seconds | | 6 seconds | 0.1 minutes | 0 minutes 6 seconds | | 7 seconds | 0.116667 minutes | 0 minutes 7 seconds | | 8 seconds | 0.133333 minutes | 0 minutes 8 seconds | | 9 seconds | 0.15 minutes | 0 minutes 9 seconds | | 10 seconds | 0.166667 minutes | 0 minutes 10 seconds | | 20 seconds | 0.333333 minutes | 0 minutes 20 seconds | | 30 seconds | 0.5 minutes | 0 minutes 30 seconds | | 40 seconds | 0.666667 minutes | 0 minutes 40 seconds | | 50 seconds | 0.833333 minutes | 0 minutes 50 seconds | | 60 seconds | 1 minute | 1 minute | | 70 seconds | 1.1667 minutes | 1 minute 10 seconds | | 80 seconds | 1.3333 minutes | 1 minute 20 seconds | | 90 seconds | 1.5 minutes | 1 minute 30 seconds | | 100 seconds | 1.6667 minutes | 1 minute 40 seconds | | 500 seconds | 8.3333 minutes | 8 minutes 20 seconds | | 1,000 seconds | 16.67 minutes | 16 minutes 40 seconds | | 10,000 seconds | 166.67 minutes | 166 minutes 40 seconds | | 50,000 seconds | 833.33333 minutes | 833 minutes 20 seconds | | 100,000 seconds | 1666.6667 minutes | 1666 minutes 40 seconds |

Section 5 of 8:

What is a second?

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A second is a small unit of time that represents one-sixtieth of a minute. Seconds are the smallest unit of time that we use colloquially in daily life. There are smaller units, but they’re not used as frequently or commonly for everyday purposes. A second is derived from dividing the day into 24 hours, each of which is made up of a 60-minute period. Then, each of those minutes is divided into 60 seconds.^{[9]
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Section 6 of 8:

What is a minute?

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One minute is also equal to sixty seconds, making it a relatively brief measurement of time. The minute is derived from dividing the day into 24 hours, then dividing each of those hours into sixty smaller parts—those smaller parts are called minutes.^{[10]
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Section 7 of 8:

More Conversion Calculators & Guides

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If you want to do more time-related conversions, you can learn how to do them by hand or use the quick conversion calculators at the links below:

Section 8 of 8:

Frequently Asked Questions About Time Conversions

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How many seconds are in a minute? There are 60 seconds in 1 minute.
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How many minutes are in a day? There are 1,440 minutes in 1 day. There are 60 minutes in an hour and 24 hours in a day. 60 x 24 = 1,440.^{[11]
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How many seconds are in a day? There are 86,400 seconds in a day. There are 60 seconds in 1 minute, 60 minutes in 1 hour, and 24 hours in 1 day. 60 x 60 x 24 = 86,400.^{[12]
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Additional Resources

Sample Seconds to Minutes Calculator

Sample Converting Seconds to Minutes Practice Problems

Sample Converting Seconds to Minutes Practice Answers

Community Q&A

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Question

How can I change 560 seconds into minutes?

Community Answer

Follow the directions. Divide 560 by 60 to get 9.33333... Subtract the whole number (9) so you're just left with the .33333... part. Multiply by that by 60 to get 20. Your answer is 9 minutes 20 seconds.

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Question

Do I divide or multiply?

Community Answer

Multiply by 60 if you want to convert minutes to seconds and by 3600 if converting hours to seconds

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Question

How can I find minutes from fractions?

Community Answer

If you mean fractions of an hour, you multiply by sixty then multiply by the fraction, e.g. 3/4 of an hour = 60 X3 then divide by 4 = 45 minutes.

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