Is there an easier way to remember how to read 1630 in military time?

Many people often need to read and understand military time, especially when timing activities such as meetings or picking up a child from daycare. Yet, military time can seem confusing as it is very different than our standard 12-hour time formats.

At first glance, it's apparent that 1630 in military time would equate to 4:30 pm. Yet understanding the way to convert a time from regular to military can be tricky. Fortunately, there's an easier way to remember how to read 1630 in military time - by using the four-digit clock system. This system uses hour increments of 100 instead of 60 minutes like in standard civilian time. So 1630 would represent sixteen hundred thirty hours and equate to 4:30 pm.

When learning about this system for the first time it may take a minute before the concept sinks in but once it does, remembering how to read 1630 in military time is quite simple! The goal is simply to drop the first two digits and add "hours" and then use the remaining two digits for "minutes" e.g for 1630 you'd read 'sixteen (16) hours and thirty (30) minutes.' In this instance 16 hours equates to 4 pm and the additional 30 minutes brings it up to 4: 30 pm.

The four-digit clock system makes reading and understanding military times much simpler than using alternative conversion methods that require calculating minute intervals or subtracting 12-hours etc Many people find this easier method of reading times also helps them easily remember other times in military such as 0940 which would be nine hundred forty hours or 9:40 am in civilan clocktime.

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