The time is ...
Can you put these mixed-up times in order? You could arrange them in a circle.
Problem
Can you put these $12$ mixed-up times in order? You could arrange them in a circle.
You can download a copy of the times on this sheet which can be printed out.
If you feel happy to try the same thing with a $24$-hour digital clock, try these $12$ times. They are on this sheet.
Getting Started
You might find it a good idea to put all the times in the same format - that is make them all digital times or all clock times. This sheet of clock faces might help.
If you are unsure about $24$-hour times, take $12$ from the hour digit given so 13.15 becomes 1.15.
Student Solutions
I think that some of you didn't notice that the times shown on the clock faces weren't the same as the digital times underneath the clocks so some solutions only included half the number of times we'd given.
Sophie offered this helpful advice:
I did this by looking at the numbers and ordering them earliest to latest. At first I was stuck on the time 00:17, but then I thought: in 24 hour clock, 1 o'clock in the morning is 01:00 so what is midnight?'
I realised 00:00 must mean midnight.
Katie from Hymer College Junior School sent us this picture of the order of the 12-hour clocks:
Katie explained what she'd done:
First I labelled them with either "am" or "pm"so it was possible to put them in order.
Then I had to work out what each time said on the clock. With this I could put them in order [earliest - latest] easily.
I felt it was easier to set it out in lines like I have. I put arrows on so it was easy to follow.
I also found it was easier to do this on paper than on the computer.
With the 24 hour clock I would do the same except not label them with "am" or "pm".
I wonder whether this is the only solution?
How about the order of the 24-hour times? If you have a solution for this part of the problem, let us know!
Teachers' Resources
The Time Is ...
Can you put these $12$ mixed-up times in order? You could arrange them in a circle.
You can download a copy of the times on this sheet which can be printed out.
If you feel happy to try the same thing with a $24$-hour digital clock, try these $12$ times. They are on this sheet.
Why do this problem?
Possible approach
Key questions
Possible extension
Learners could try the problem Two Clocks or make up their own problem cards using this sheet.
Possible support
Suggest trying the easier related problem What's the Time?. A geared clock might also be useful to show different times. (If the clock is not geared it is much too easy to show impossible times.)