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What is time?


What is time?
Time & Numbers


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by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author

Time can be hard to understand, because it’s not something you can see, touch, taste, smell, or feel. Time is basically just a way of thinking of or talking about moments, events, or when something has happened or is going to happen!

Think, for example, about the last meal you ate. Was it “this morning” or “this afternoon”? Maybe you know that it was “at 1:00.” These terms are all ways of talking about time, or, when something happened!  

In order to talk about time more easily, most people use hours, minutes, and seconds. This system of numbers is made up of measurable divisions of time that have been assigned to cover the duration of one full day, from when the sun comes up to when the moon comes out! Assigning names to these amounts of time helps people to discuss and compare them. For example, someone might say that your favorite TV show is going to start “in five minutes.” Because we’ve measured out an amount of time that equals five minutes, everyone knows how long that amount of time is, and you can know when your show will begin so you don’t have to miss any of it!





People have been thinking, learning, and talking about time for thousands and thousands of years. Before we had watches and clocks, people used the sun, moon, and stars to help them describe when something was going to happen!






Measure for measure -- Making your own sand-timer!
Have you ever seen an “hourglass” or a “sand-timer”? These are both old-fashioned ways of measuring time by holding an amount of sand that takes a certain period of time (like “two minutes” or “one hour”) to trickle down from the top compartment into the bottom one!

Here’s how you can make your own sand-timer at home!

Get two empty plastic bottles the same size. Remove the labels from each bottle and make sure they’re both clean and dry, both inside and out.

Trace the size of the opening of one of the bottles onto some heavy paper or cardboard, and then cut it out. Punch or cut a smaller circle in the middle of this piece.

Next, use a funnel to fill one of the bottles about half-way full with sand and then tape the small cardboard circle over its opening, making sure not to tape over the smaller hole punched in its center. Turn the second bottle upside-down, and tape it neck-to-neck with the sand-filled bottle! Make sure to tape them together really tightly with strong tape, or else your sand-timer might not hold together. 

Now you are done! Flip the bottles around and watch how the sand filters through! How many minutes does your sand-timer measure? Use it to measure some activities during your day, such as how long it takes to brush your teeth or pick up your toys!