Does it ever feel like some days are much longer or shorter than others?
Although the human concept of time can vary, the number of minutes, hours, and seconds in a day remains constant. This is designed to make it easy to plan your schedule and pack in as much as possible. If you are stuck at work, you may find yourself staring at the clock as the seconds tick by. Trying to break the time up into seconds may make it feel like it is going by more quickly.
So, if you’ve ever found yourself wondering, ‘how many seconds in a day?’, then it’s time to find out…
Short answer: There are 86,400 seconds in 1 day
Contents
What Is A Second?
Before we get started with the calculation, it is important to understand what a second is. This is the base unit of time that is used to understand how time is measured and passes. A base unit is a unit that is defined on its own terms and on which other units are based.
This means that all the other units of time are based on seconds. This includes minutes, hours, days, and even nanoseconds. All of these measurements of time and based on this single base unit.
The rotation of the earth…
This base unit used to be defined by the rotation cycle of the Earth. Before we had detailed information about how the Earth rotates, it was calculated as 1/86,400 of the average solar day.
However, now that we understand that the speed the Earth rotates at is slowing down, we select a more accurate method. It is now based on the radiation cycles of a single cesium-133 atom, which is commonly called an atomic clock.
The Number In One Minute
This is perhaps the quickest and easiest time conversion to make. There are a total of sixty seconds in every minute. You can use this calculation as the starting point for longer time calculations.
When you first look at it, the number sixty may seem a little random. Nobody is quite sure why this number has been used to represent the minutes. However, it is believed that the calculation dates all the way back to ancient Babylon.
The Number In An Hour
Now you know the number of minutes, the calculation for one hour is pretty simple. All you need to do is multiply sixty by sixty. This will give you a total figure of 3,600.
The Number In One Day
Trying to work out the number for a whole day is slightly more complicated. However, it will be simpler if you have already calculated the number in a single hour. You will already have the figure of 3,600 for the hour.
You already know that there are 24 hours in each day. Thanks to the calculations that were made centuries ago, each day has the same number of hours. Therefore, you need to multiply 3,600 by 24 to get the exact number. This will give you a total of 86,000 for a single day.
How To Calculate The Number
Now that you understand the base unit of time, you can use it to calculate much larger units of time. When looking at a single day, you can break it down into other types of units. There are 24 hours, which is the same as 1,440 minutes, and 86,400 seconds.
The basic equation for finding the number is fairly simple once you understand it. One day = 24 hours/day × 60 minutes/hour × 60 seconds/minute = 86400 seconds/day. You can also use this calculation to find out how many minutes there are in a single year.
What about 72 hours?
You can also use the calculation for working out the number of base units in other periods of time. To work out how many base units are in three days, start by working out how many minutes are in three days. You should automatically know that there are 72 hours in three days by multiplying 24 by 3.
Using the original equation, you can work out that 72 hours is equivalent to 4,320 minutes. Use the equation again to find the figure 259,200 seconds. Multiplying 4,320 by sixty is another quick way to find the same answer.
The equation works for big numbers too!
The great thing about this equation is that it also works for really big numbers. You can easily calculate the number of base units in a whole month. This is slightly more complicated because the number of days in each month varies.
Therefore, you need to start with an average of 30.42 days for a month. Because each day is always 24 hours, you will reach a total of 730.08 hours for the average month. This will then give you a total of 43,804.8 minutes. Perform the equation one more time, and you will reach a total of 2,628,288 seconds for the average month.
How Many Seconds In A Day? – Tips For Time Conversions
If all those calculations had your head spinning, it is a good idea to work on a cheat sheet. You can write down some basic conversions to help make your time conversions much simpler. You can then refer to this cheat sheet each time you need to make a conversion.
Here are some of the main conversions you should memorize:
- One minute equals 60 seconds.
- One hour equals 60 minutes.
- One day equals 24 hours.
- One week equals 7 days.
- One year equals 52 weeks.
- One decade equals 10 years.
- One century equals 10 decades.
Info On Time And Your Working Hours!
Time is money, as they say! So, take a look at some Flexible Jobs That Let You Set Your Own Hours and the Top Easy Jobs That Pay Well for a few ideas, and if you’re job hunting, then my guides on How Do I Convert Salary To Hourly To Calculate A Part Time Rate or the difference between Salary Vs Hourly Pay, will come in handy!
Perhaps you’re not sure about how many hours you’d like to work; for that, we have our Part Time And Full Time Hours, as well as our 20 Part Time Jobs That Pay More Than 20 Per Hour and 15 Part Time Jobs That Pay More Than 40 Per Hour to help you decide.
Lastly, during your interview, it is likely you’ll be asked What Are Your Salary Expectations, and you might want to know How To Answer Desired Salary and maybe, How To Counteroffer Your Salary After A Job Offer in 2023.
How Many Seconds In A Day? – Final Thoughts
By now, you should have a good understanding of the number of seconds in different time periods.
This information can be very useful when making certain precise calculations. You can also use the information to impress people with your knowledge of trivia.
Being able to calculate the number of seconds in different periods can be a little tricky at first. Even though you have a simple formula, it is important to take the time to put the calculation through its paces. Like most things in life, with a little practice, you are sure to find that the process is quicker and easier every time!
All the very best with your Time Conversions!