How many hours are in 210 minutes?
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer:
3.5 hours
Explanation:
To convert minutes into hours, you use the relationship between these two units of time:
1 hour = 60 minutes
So, to convert 210 minutes into hours, you divide the number of minutes by 60: 210 minutes60 minutes/hour=3.5 hours\frac{210 \text{ minutes}}{60 \text{ minutes/hour}} = 3.5 \text{ hours}
This tells us that 210 minutes is equivalent to 3 and a half hours.
Why This Matters:
Understanding how to convert between time units like minutes and hours is essential in everyday situations such as:
- Planning schedules
- Understanding travel or movie durations
- Billing for services (e.g., consulting or tutoring sessions charged by the hour)
Alternative Explanation Using Long Division:
If you’re not comfortable with decimal division, you can think of this in parts:
- 60 minutes go into 210 how many times? 210÷60=3 whole hours210 ÷ 60 = 3 \text{ whole hours}
- What’s left over? 210−(60×3)=210−180=30 minutes210 – (60 × 3) = 210 – 180 = 30 \text{ minutes}
So, 210 minutes = 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Now convert the 30 minutes into a decimal: 3060=0.5\frac{30}{60} = 0.5
So total time in hours = 3 + 0.5 = 3.5 hours
Conclusion:
210 minutes is the same as 3.5 hours. This conversion is useful in many real-life contexts, helping you manage time more effectively and make accurate calculations involving schedules or durations.