Time Converter - Free Online Tool

Convert time units instantly. Support for 12+ units including Second, Millisecond, Microsecond. Free calculator with accurate conversions, formula, and table.

⏰ Time Converter

Select your units from the lists below

Back to Categories
From Unit

  • Second

    Symbol: s

  • Millisecond

    Symbol: ms

  • Microsecond

    Symbol: µs

  • Nanosecond

    Symbol: ns

  • Minute

    Symbol: min

  • Hour

    Symbol: h

  • Day

    Symbol: d

  • Week

    Symbol: wk

  • Month

    Symbol: mo

  • Year

    Symbol: yr

  • Decade

    Symbol: decade

  • Century

    Symbol: century
To Unit

  • Second

    Symbol: s

  • Millisecond

    Symbol: ms

  • Microsecond

    Symbol: µs

  • Nanosecond

    Symbol: ns

  • Minute

    Symbol: min

  • Hour

    Symbol: h

  • Day

    Symbol: d

  • Week

    Symbol: wk

  • Month

    Symbol: mo

  • Year

    Symbol: yr

  • Decade

    Symbol: decade

  • Century

    Symbol: century

⏰ Time Converter

Time is everywhere—from scientific research to daily scheduling. Convert between seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years instantly. Whether you're working in research, scheduling, project management, or scientific calculations, our converter handles the math.

⏰ About Time

Time measures the progression of events. In the International System of Units (SI), the second serves as the standard unit for time. Unlike other base quantities, time flows in one direction and forms the foundation for measuring duration, intervals, and sequences of events. Different contexts use different time scales. Computing works with nanoseconds, while historical records span years. Being able to work with all these units helps with scientific research, international coordination, navigation, and everyday scheduling.

Understanding Time Measurement

Time is a fundamental physical quantity representing the progression of events from past to future. In the International System of Quantities, time is a base dimension, and in the International System of Units (SI), the second serves as the base unit for time. Time measurement allows us to quantify duration, intervals, and the sequence of events. The modern definition of the second, established in 1967 by the 13th General Conference on Weights and Measures, is based on atomic physics—specifically, the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the cesium-133 atom. This definition ensures that time measurements are consistent and reproducible anywhere in the world, independent of astronomical observations that could vary.

📜 History & Context

The history of time measurement dates back to ancient civilizations, when people tracked time using natural cycles like the rising and setting of the sun, phases of the moon, and seasonal changes. Early timekeeping devices included sundials, water clocks, and hourglasses, which divided days into smaller units. The division of hours into 60 minutes and minutes into 60 seconds comes from the sexagesimal (base-60) system used by ancient Sumerians and Babylonians. For centuries, the second was defined as 1/86,400 of a mean solar day—the average time between successive noons. However, Earth's rotation is not perfectly uniform, making this definition unstable over long periods. In 1960, the second was redefined using the Earth's orbit around the sun, but this still relied on astronomical observations. The modern era of time measurement began with the development of atomic clocks. In 1955, Louis Essen at the UK's National Physical Laboratory built the first practical cesium atomic clock. By 1967, the General Conference on Weights and Measures redefined the second using the hyperfine transition frequency of cesium-133 atoms. This atomic definition, refined in 2018 to specify unperturbed conditions, provides unprecedented precision—modern atomic clocks are accurate to within one second over hundreds of millions of years.

✨ Fun Facts

  • • The division of hours into 60 minutes and minutes into 60 seconds comes from the ancient Babylonian sexagesimal (base-60) number system, which they inherited from the Sumerians.
  • • Before mechanical clocks, many ancient cultures used "seasonal hours" where daylight was divided into 12 equal parts—but since daylight length changes with seasons, these hours varied in duration.
  • • The second was originally defined as 1/86,400 of a mean solar day, but Earth's irregular rotation made this unstable, leading to the 1967 atomic definition.
  • • Modern atomic clocks like NIST-F2 are so precise they would lose or gain less than one second over hundreds of millions of years under ideal conditions.
  • • Different cultures historically started the day at different times: Egyptians at dawn, Jews and Babylonians at sunset, while Romans and modern systems use midnight.

💡 Real-World Examples

  • • Navigation and GPS: Global positioning systems rely on precise time measurements from atomic clocks. A nanosecond error translates to about 30 centimeters of position error.
  • • Scientific research: Physics experiments measure events in nanoseconds or microseconds, while astronomical observations track phenomena over years or centuries.
  • • Computing and telecommunications: Network synchronization needs precise timing in milliseconds or microseconds to prevent data collisions and ensure signal coherence.
  • • Project management and scheduling: Tasks are planned in hours, days, weeks, or months. Converting between units helps with accurate timeline estimation.
  • • Sports and athletics: Races are timed in seconds or milliseconds. World records are often determined by hundredths or thousandths of a second.
  • • Medical and healthcare: Medication schedules, treatment durations, and patient monitoring work with different time units. Converting between hours, days, and weeks helps coordinate care.
  • • Astronomy and space exploration: Space missions track time in seconds for precise calculations, while astronomical events are measured in years or millennia.
  • • Financial markets: Trading systems need microsecond precision for high-frequency transactions, while long-term investments are measured in years or decades.

🔧 Common Applications

  • • Navigation and positioning: GPS and satellite navigation systems depend on atomic clock precision, where timing errors directly translate to position errors.
  • • Scientific research: Physics experiments, astronomical observations, and fundamental research require precise time measurement across scales from nanoseconds to years.
  • • Telecommunications and computing: Network synchronization, data transmission, and computer systems rely on precise timing to coordinate operations and prevent errors.
  • • Space exploration: Spacecraft navigation, deep-space communication, and mission planning require accurate time conversion and synchronization across vast distances.
  • • Industrial automation: Manufacturing processes, quality control, and production scheduling depend on precise time measurement and conversion for coordination and efficiency.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

+ How many seconds are in a minute?

There are exactly 60 seconds in one minute. This is a standard conversion in the time measurement system. For example, 2 minutes equals 120 seconds, and 0.5 minutes equals 30 seconds.

+ How do I convert hours to minutes?

To convert hours to minutes, multiply the hour value by 60. For example, 1 hour equals 60 minutes, 2 hours equals 120 minutes, and 0.5 hours equals 30 minutes. This conversion is commonly used for scheduling and time calculations.

+ How many days are in a week?

There are exactly 7 days in one week. This is a standard time unit used worldwide. For example, 2 weeks equals 14 days, and 0.5 weeks equals 3.5 days.

+ How do I convert days to hours?

To convert days to hours, multiply the day value by 24. For example, 1 day equals 24 hours, 2 days equals 48 hours, and 0.5 days equals 12 hours. This conversion is useful for project planning and scheduling.

+ What is the relationship between seconds, minutes, and hours?

Time units follow a hierarchical structure: 60 seconds equal 1 minute, 60 minutes equal 1 hour, and 24 hours equal 1 day. This base-60 system comes from ancient Babylonian mathematics. For example, 1 hour equals 3,600 seconds (60 × 60).

⭐ Popular Time Conversions

⏰
s to ms
⏰
s to µs
⏰
s to ns
⏰
s to min
⏰
s to h
⏰
ms to s
⏰
ms to µs
⏰
ms to ns
⏰
ms to min
⏰
ms to h

📊
Full Time Conversion Matrix

Complete list of supported time units for precision conversions.

⏰ Second (s)

→ Millisecond ms → Microsecond µs → Nanosecond ns → Minute min → Hour h → Day d → Week wk → Month mo → Year yr → Decade decade → Century century

⏰ Millisecond (ms)

→ Second s → Microsecond µs → Nanosecond ns → Minute min → Hour h → Day d → Week wk → Month mo → Year yr → Decade decade → Century century

⏰ Microsecond (µs)

→ Second s → Millisecond ms → Nanosecond ns → Minute min → Hour h → Day d → Week wk → Month mo → Year yr → Decade decade → Century century

⏰ Nanosecond (ns)

→ Second s → Millisecond ms → Microsecond µs → Minute min → Hour h → Day d → Week wk → Month mo → Year yr → Decade decade → Century century

⏰ Minute (min)

→ Second s → Millisecond ms → Microsecond µs → Nanosecond ns → Hour h → Day d → Week wk → Month mo → Year yr → Decade decade → Century century

⏰ Hour (h)

→ Second s → Millisecond ms → Microsecond µs → Nanosecond ns → Minute min → Day d → Week wk → Month mo → Year yr → Decade decade → Century century

⏰ Day (d)

→ Second s → Millisecond ms → Microsecond µs → Nanosecond ns → Minute min → Hour h → Week wk → Month mo → Year yr → Decade decade → Century century

⏰ Week (wk)

→ Second s → Millisecond ms → Microsecond µs → Nanosecond ns → Minute min → Hour h → Day d → Month mo → Year yr → Decade decade → Century century

⏰ Month (mo)

→ Second s → Millisecond ms → Microsecond µs → Nanosecond ns → Minute min → Hour h → Day d → Week wk → Year yr → Decade decade → Century century

⏰ Year (yr)

→ Second s → Millisecond ms → Microsecond µs → Nanosecond ns → Minute min → Hour h → Day d → Week wk → Month mo → Decade decade → Century century

⏰ Decade (decade)

→ Second s → Millisecond ms → Microsecond µs → Nanosecond ns → Minute min → Hour h → Day d → Week wk → Month mo → Year yr → Century century

⏰ Century (century)

→ Second s → Millisecond ms → Microsecond µs → Nanosecond ns → Minute min → Hour h → Day d → Week wk → Month mo → Year yr → Decade decade