Calculating elapsed time can be tricky, and I’ve seen students (including myself) make some common mistakes. Here are a few to watch out for:
Forgetting to Change Units: One of the biggest issues is not changing hours to minutes or the other way around. For example, if you have 2 hours and 30 minutes and need to figure out the time from 1:45 PM to 4:30 PM, remember that 2 hours is 120 minutes!
Counting Mistakes: When you count the hours and minutes, it can be easy to lose track. Let’s say you go from 2:15 to 3:45; you might accidentally skip an hour or add wrong. Counting carefully can really help!
Ignoring AM/PM: Another mistake is not paying attention to whether it’s AM or PM. This can mess up your answer. For example, finding the time between 11 PM and 1 AM is actually a gap of 2 hours, not just 2 hours!
Wrong Calculation Method: Sometimes, people only use subtraction when they should realize that certain problems need you to add to the next hour. This can really throw you off!
Rushing: Lastly, being in a hurry can cause mistakes. It’s important to slow down, double-check your work, and make sure you’ve included all parts of the time correctly.
By being careful about these common mistakes, you’ll find that calculating elapsed time gets much easier!
Calculating elapsed time can be tricky, and I’ve seen students (including myself) make some common mistakes. Here are a few to watch out for:
Forgetting to Change Units: One of the biggest issues is not changing hours to minutes or the other way around. For example, if you have 2 hours and 30 minutes and need to figure out the time from 1:45 PM to 4:30 PM, remember that 2 hours is 120 minutes!
Counting Mistakes: When you count the hours and minutes, it can be easy to lose track. Let’s say you go from 2:15 to 3:45; you might accidentally skip an hour or add wrong. Counting carefully can really help!
Ignoring AM/PM: Another mistake is not paying attention to whether it’s AM or PM. This can mess up your answer. For example, finding the time between 11 PM and 1 AM is actually a gap of 2 hours, not just 2 hours!
Wrong Calculation Method: Sometimes, people only use subtraction when they should realize that certain problems need you to add to the next hour. This can really throw you off!
Rushing: Lastly, being in a hurry can cause mistakes. It’s important to slow down, double-check your work, and make sure you’ve included all parts of the time correctly.
By being careful about these common mistakes, you’ll find that calculating elapsed time gets much easier!