Metric Time

• In physics and other scientific disciplines, time is measured in metric quantities of seconds. Hours and minutes are not typically used. This means that one minute of clock time would be represented as 60 seconds, in physics. Latin prefixes are used with the base unit seconds as a "shorthand" for large and small quantities. For instance, the quantity "eight kiloseconds" is easier to work with than the equivalent quantity "8,000 seconds."
  
  

The Latin Prefix "Kilo-"

• The prefix "kilo-" means 1,000 and is used with various base units of measurement, such as meter and gram. Regarding seconds, "kilo-" means 1,000 seconds. It is a multiple of the base unit seconds, rather than a division or portion of a second.
  
  

Converting Metric Time

• The clock time of 00:01:40 or one minute and 40 seconds is equal to 100 seconds in metric time. To convert 100 seconds to clock time, divide 100 by 60 to get the number of minutes. The result is 1.67. Because decimals are at play, the "1" is correct for minutes but the "0.67" portion is not. To find the correct number of seconds, multiply 0.67 by 60. The product is 40.2 seconds, which can be rounded to 40 seconds.
  
  

Converting Kiloseconds

• One kilosecond is equal to 1,000 seconds. To convert that into clock time, divide by 60 to get the number of minutes. The result of 1,000 divided by 60 is 16.67. In this case, "16" is the correct amount of minutes. Multiply 0.67, by 60 to get the correct number of seconds. The product of 0.67 multiplied by 60 is 40.2, or 40 seconds. Therefore, the metric quantity of one kilosecond equals 00:16:40, or 16 minutes and 40 seconds in clock time.