Ever find yourself needing to know what time it was a few hours ago? Whether you’re tracking sleep, remembering a meeting, or just plain curious, calculating time differences is a common need.
This quick guide will help you figure out what time it was 6 hours ago, wherever you are.
The Basic Calculation: Subtracting Six Hours
To figure out what time it was six hours ago, you subtract six hours from the current time. It’s a simple calculation.
For example, if it’s 3:00 PM right now, then six hours ago, it was 9:00 AM.
One thing you have to remember is to pay attention to AM and PM. If you don’t, you could end up with the wrong time.
What if the time is before midnight?
Calculating backward in time is pretty easy, but it gets slightly more complicated when you have to go back across midnight.
When subtracting hours lands you in the previous day, you’ll need to make an adjustment.
For instance, if it’s 2:00 a.m., and you need to know what time it was six hours earlier, subtracting six hours would seem to give you -4:00 a.m.
But time can’t be negative, so what do you do? Just add 12 hours to get the correct time. In this case, -4:00 a.m. + 12 hours = 8:00 p.m. So six hours before 2:00 a.m. is 8:00 p.m. the previous day.
Tools for Calculation: Online Calculators and Charts
If you don’t want to do the math yourself, you can try an “hours ago” calculator. These online tools let you automate the process of calculating the time.
You can also find pre-calculated charts for common time differences. These charts give you a quick reference for frequently needed calculations.
Calculators generally ask for the current time and the number of hours you want to subtract. Charts present the answers as tables of pre-calculated times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time from now is 6 hours?
Okay, so if you’re wondering what time it will be 6 hours from right now, the answer depends on the current time. Just add 6 hours to the present time. For example, if it’s currently 2:00 PM, then 6 hours from now it will be 8:00 PM.
What part of a day is 6 hours?
A day has 24 hours, so 6 hours is equal to one-quarter (1/4) of a day. You can think of it as a quarter of the entire daily cycle.
What is 6 hours equal to?
6 hours is equal to 360 minutes (since there are 60 minutes in an hour) or 21,600 seconds (since there are 60 seconds in a minute). It’s also equal to 0.25 days as mentioned before.
What time is 6:00 hours?
If you’re asking about 6:00 hours in military time, it translates to 6:00 AM in standard time. If you mean 6 hours as a duration, then this FAQ is the same as “What is 6 hours equal to?”
Putting It All Together
To figure out what time it was six hours ago, subtract six hours from the current time. If your calculation crosses midnight, remember to change AM to PM or vice versa.
If that sounds like too much math, there are handy online tools and charts that can quickly figure out what time it was six hours ago (or any other number of hours!).