Subtraction of Minutes and Seconds

How to subtract minutes and seconds

  • If the number of seconds being subtracted is more than the original seconds, do the following:
    • Subtract 1 from the original number of minutes.
    • Increase the number of original seconds by 60.
  • Subtract the seconds.
  • Subtract the minutes.

Example: What is 4 minutes 11 seconds minus 2 minutes 47 seconds.

  • The original number of seconds (11) is less than the 47 seconds being subtracted so:
    • Subtract 1 from the original number of minutes. (4 minutes - 1 minute = 3 minutes)
    • Increase the number of seconds by 60. (11 seconds + 60 seconds = 71 seconds)
  • Subtract the seconds. (71 seconds - 47 seconds = 24 seconds)
  • Subtract the minutes. (3 minutes - 2 minutes = 1 minute)
  • Answer: 1 minute 24 seconds






Find the Difference in Minutes and Seconds

- =

minutes and seconds