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They're the Same!

Hooray, we get to write a little less on this page. Yes kids, the same units are used to measure time in both the customary and metric systems. The unit of measurement is based on a second. You'll need to convert to other amounts, but much of science is based on the second.

1 second = A number of oscillations in a Cesium-133 or Iodine-127 atom. It depends on who you ask. It's the starting point.

1 minute = 60 seconds
1 hour = 60 minutes = 3,600 seconds
1 day = 24 hours = 1,440 minutes = 86,400 seconds
1 year = 365.25 days = 8,766 hours = 525,960 minutes = 31,557,600 seconds
1 leap year = 366.25 days (one every four years)
1 decade = 10 years
1 century = 10 decades = 100 years
1 millennium = 10 centuries = 100 decades = 1,000 years

1 light year = The distance that light travels in a vacuum during the time of one year. It's used in astronomy to measure the distance between planets, stars, systems, and galaxies. Even though it has year in the name, it's a measure of distance.

Example

If I drove across country in four days, how many minutes would I be driving?
4 days = 4 * 1,440 minutes = 5,760 minutes

We've got a lot more information about dates and time in our Basic Math section if you missed it.

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