Minute

A minute is a unit of time equal to 60 seconds. Each hour contains 60 minutes, which means a standard day contains 1,440 minutes. The minute is among the most commonly used time units in daily life, particularly for measuring short durations such as travel, meetings, or cooking.

In the International System of Units (SI), the fundamental unit of time is the second. The minute is not a base SI unit, but it is an accepted unit for use with SI. The symbol used is "min".

Definition and measurement

A minute equals 60 seconds. The second is now defined by a constant transition that occurs within the caesium atom, which serves as the basis for atomic clocks. Therefore, the measurement of the minute depends on the definition of the second.

Occasionally, to align the global time system with Earth's rotation, an extra second (leap second) is added. In such cases, a minute can be 61 seconds instead of 60.

History and the origin of the base-60 system

The division of the hour into 60 parts originates from the sexagesimal (base-60) numeral system used by the Babylonians and peoples of Mesopotamia. This system was suitable for division because 60 has many divisors. The word "minute" in European languages derives from Latin, meaning "first small part", while "second" refers to the "second part" of the hour.

Other uses

The word minute is also used for the arcminute, which is 1/60 of a degree. In this usage, the meaning is not time but rather an angular measurement, employed in astronomy, geography, and navigation. The symbol for this angle is a single prime mark ('), for example: 30'.