Medium2 marksStructured
Geometry and Measurestimesubtractionunitsmeasures

AQA GCSE · Question 13 · Geometry and Measures

The time Shaz takes to run a race is 1 minute 28 seconds less than 2 hours. Work out her time in hours, minutes and seconds.

How to approach this question

1. Start with the initial time: 2 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds. 2. You need to subtract 1 minute and 28 seconds. 3. It's easier to work backwards from the seconds. We can't subtract 28 seconds from 0 seconds, so we need to borrow from the minutes. 4. Borrow 1 minute from the 0 minutes. To do this, first borrow 1 hour from the 2 hours. 5. 2 hours 0 minutes becomes 1 hour 60 minutes. 6. Now borrow 1 minute from the 60 minutes. 7. 1 hour 60 minutes 0 seconds becomes 1 hour 59 minutes 60 seconds. 8. Now perform the subtraction: 1h 59m 60s - 0h 01m 28s ----------------- 9. Seconds: 60 - 28 = 32 seconds. 10. Minutes: 59 - 1 = 58 minutes. 11. Hours: 1 - 0 = 1 hour. 12. The final time is 1 hour, 58 minutes, 32 seconds.

Full Answer

1 hour 58 minutes 32 seconds
We need to calculate 2 hours minus 1 minute 28 seconds. Method 1: Subtraction with borrowing We can set up the subtraction like this: 2h 00m 00s - 0h 01m 28s We can't subtract 28 from 0, so we need to borrow. Borrow 1 minute from the minutes column, which gives us 60 seconds. But we have 0 minutes, so we must first borrow from the hours column. 2 hours becomes 1 hour and 60 minutes. So we have: 1h 60m 00s - 0h 01m 28s Now we can borrow 1 minute from the 60 minutes, leaving 59 minutes and giving us 60 seconds. 1h 59m 60s - 0h 01m 28s ------------------ 1h 58m 32s So the time is 1 hour, 58 minutes, and 32 seconds. Method 2: Using seconds 2 hours = 2 * 3600 = 7200 seconds. 1 minute 28 seconds = 60 + 28 = 88 seconds. Time taken = 7200 - 88 = 7112 seconds. Now convert back: 7112 / 3600 = 1 with a remainder of 3512. So, 1 hour. 3512 / 60 = 58 with a remainder of 32. So, 58 minutes. Remainder is 32 seconds. Answer: 1 hour 58 minutes 32 seconds.

Common mistakes

✗ Incorrectly borrowing time (e.g., thinking 1 minute = 100 seconds). ✗ Subtracting minutes from hours directly. ✗ Calculation errors in subtraction.

Practice the full AQA GCSE Maths Foundation Tier Paper 2 Calculator

45 questions · hints · full answers · grading

More questions from this exam