Minute (min)
Definition
The minute (symbol min) is a unit of time equal to exactly 60 seconds. It is one of the non-SI units accepted for use with the International System of Units and is universally used in everyday timekeeping.
History
The minute as a sixtieth of an hour traces to the Babylonian sexagesimal numeral system and was carried into European mathematics by medieval Arabic astronomy. The Latin pars minuta prima (first small part) and pars minuta secunda (second small part) are the etymological roots of both minute and second.
Mechanical clocks with minute hands became common in Europe during the 17th century, after the pendulum clock of Christiaan Huygens (1656) made minute-level precision practical. The minute today is defined exactly as 60 SI seconds and is universally accepted on time displays.
Standard reference
Defined as 60 seconds exactly. Accepted for use with the SI under the BIPM SI Brochure (Table 8) and NIST Special Publication 811.
Common conversions
| 1 min | = 60 s |
|---|---|
| = 0.0166667 h | |
| = 0.000694444 d |