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SATs practice · Year 6Chapter 8 · Measures and conversions
Year 6 Arithmetic (SATs) · Measures and conversions · Lesson 8.2

Year 6 Arithmetic (SATs): Capacity and time conversions

Part of the Year 6 Arithmetic (SATs) measures and conversions chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

8.2

Capacity and time conversions

Year 6
Convert between metric units of capacity and time, including decimals up to three decimal places (Year 5-6), Solve problems involving converting between units of time (Year 5-6)
Story. A recipe needs 1.5 litres of milk, and the bottle holds 2 litres. The class plans a film that starts at 14:20 and lasts 1 hour 50 minutes.

Rule

Capacity: 1 litre = 1000 ml. Time: 1 hour = 60 minutes, and 1 minute = 60 seconds.

A decimal hour is worked out as minutes: 2.5 hours = 2 hours and 0.5 × 60 = 30 minutes, so 2 h 30 min = 150 minutes.

Key ideas

  • 1 litre = 1000 ml; 2.75 litres = 2750 ml.
  • 1 hour = 60 minutes; 0.5 hours = 30 minutes.
  • Add times in hours and minutes, carrying 60 minutes into an hour.
Worked example 8.2.1
Convert 2.75 litres to millilitres.

Method. Multiply by 1000.

  1. Write the conversion fact. 1 litres is 1000 ml.
    1 litres = 1000 ml
  2. Multiply to change to the smaller unit. Each litres has 1000 ml, so multiply.
    2.75 × 1000 = 2750
  3. Write the answer.
    2750 ml

Check. 2,750 ÷ 1000 = 2.75 litres. ✓

Worked example 8.2.2
Convert 3.5 hours to minutes.

Method. Multiply by 60, because each hour has 60 minutes.

  1. Find the minutes in 3 hours. 3 × 60 = 180.
    180 minutes
  2. Find the minutes in 0.5 hours. 0.5 × 60 = 30.
    30 minutes
  3. Add. 180 + 30 = 210.
    210 minutes
  4. Write the answer.
    210 minutes

Check. 210 ÷ 60 = 3.5 hours. ✓

Worked example 8.2.3
A film starts at 14:20 and lasts 1 hour 50 minutes. What time does it finish?

Method. Add the hour, then the minutes, carrying past 60.

  1. Add the hour. 14:20 + 1 hour = 15:20.
    15:20
  2. Add the minutes. 15:20 + 50 minutes = 16:10, since 20 + 50 = 70 and 70 - 60 = 10.
    16:10
  3. Write the answer.
    16:10

Check. 1 h 50 min is 110 minutes. ✓

Exercise 8B  Practice: capacity and time

Non-calculator
1
FConvert 0.6 litres to millilitres.
2
FConvert 2.05 litres to millilitres.
3
FConvert 4,250 ml to litres.
4
FConvert 750 ml to litres.
5
FConvert 2.5 hours to minutes.
6
FConvert 3 hours 45 minutes to minutes.
7
FConvert 300 seconds to minutes.
8
FConvert 4 minutes 30 seconds to seconds.
9
PSA bus leaves at 09:45 and the journey takes 2 hours 35 minutes. What time does it arrive?
10
PSA bottle holds 1.25 litres. Five bottles are filled. How many litres are there in total?
11
PSA school day starts at 08:50 and finishes at 15:20. How long is the day in hours and minutes?
12
PSA jug holds 2 litres. A glass holds 250 ml. How many glasses can be filled from the jug?
13
RSam says 2 hours 30 minutes is 2.3 hours. Is he right? Explain.

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