Final answer:
To calculate time passed between two clocks, one must identify the starting and ending times and find the difference. For accurate measurement, time can be identified in 5-minute or 1-minute intervals. Elapsed time is crucial for understanding durations of activities or movements.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the amount of time that has passed between two different times shown on clocks, we follow a simple process of noting the starting and ending times and finding the difference between them. When clocks display times in a clear manner, such as on analog or digital displays, we can usually identify time in 5-minute intervals or even down to 1-minute intervals.
For example, if a clock shows 2:00 PM and another clock shows 2:45 PM, 45 minutes have passed. The process involves looking at the starting time, here 2:00 PM, and adding the minutes until we reach the end time, which is 2:45 PM. If the clocks were to show hours and quarters, like quarter past, half past, or quarter to the next hour, we could easily say 15 minutes have passed for each quarter.
In the context of the classroom or other events, elapsed time is important for understanding how long a particular activity or movement takes. For instance, a 50-minute class starting at 11:00 A.M and concluding at 11:50 A.M. Calculating elapsed time in various contexts, whether with a stopwatch, analog or digital clocks, or other methods of recording time, forms a foundational skill in mathematics.