What is millisecond?
A millisecond is a unit of time equal to one thousandth of a second. It is used in computing, networking, audio and video processing, and measuring reaction times and signal latencies.
Real-world uses
Milliseconds are critical in computing for measuring network latency (ping times), database query performance, and real-time system response. Financial trading platforms measure order execution in milliseconds, and human reaction time averages about 250 ms.
History
The millisecond became a practical unit with the invention of precise mechanical chronographs in the 19th century. Its importance exploded with electronic computing, where operations occur in millisecond and sub-millisecond timescales.
Common mistakes
Confusing milliseconds with microseconds in performance profiling—they differ by a factor of 1,000. Also, assuming human perception cannot detect millisecond differences, when in fact audio delays above 10 ms are perceptible.
What is minute?
A minute is a unit of time equal to 60 seconds. It is universally used for scheduling, cooking, fitness tracking, and expressing short durations in everyday life.
Real-world uses
Minutes structure daily life through meeting schedules, cooking times, exercise intervals, and transportation timetables. Medical professionals measure heart rate in beats per minute and respiratory rate in breaths per minute.
History
The minute comes from the Latin "pars minuta prima" (first small part), referring to the first division of the hour into 60 parts. This sexagesimal division originated with the ancient Babylonians around 2000 BCE.
Common mistakes
Using "m" as an abbreviation for minutes, which conflicts with metres. The correct abbreviation is "min." Also, performing arithmetic on time without accounting for the base-60 system (e.g., 1.5 hours is 1 hour 30 minutes, not 1 hour 50 minutes).
When is this conversion used?
Converting millisecond to minute is useful in the time domain when comparing values across different measurement standards or applying formulas that require a specific unit.
Worked examples
1 millisecond = 0.00001667 minute
1 minute = 60 second
How to convert millisecond to minute
To convert millisecond to minute, multiply the value by 0.00001667.
To convert minute back to millisecond, multiply by 60,000.
Measurement standards
The SI second is defined as the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom, maintained by the BIPM and national metrology institutes worldwide.
Did you know?
Earth's rotation is gradually slowing due to tidal friction with the Moon. To keep atomic time aligned with solar time, "leap seconds" have been inserted 27 times since 1972 — though they are scheduled to be abolished by 2035.
Quick reference: millisecond to minute
| millisecond | minute |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 0.00000167 |
| 0.5 | 0.00000833 |
| 1 | 0.00001667 |
| 2 | 0.00003333 |
| 5 | 0.00008333 |
| 10 | 0.00016667 |
| 25 | 0.00041667 |
| 50 | 0.00083333 |
| 100 | 0.00166667 |
| 250 | 0.00416667 |
| 500 | 0.00833333 |
| 1,000 | 0.01666667 |
Common values
| millisecond | minute | |
|---|---|---|
| Blink of an eye | 300 millisecond | 0.005 minute |
| Average pop song | 210,000 millisecond | 3.5 minute |
| Feature film | 7,200,000 millisecond | 120 minute |
| One work day (8 hrs) | 28,800,000 millisecond | 480 minute |
| One calendar year | 3.153600e+10 millisecond | 525,600 minute |
Available Time units
More millisecond conversions
- Convert millisecond to second
- Convert millisecond to minute
- Convert millisecond to hour
- Convert millisecond to day
- Convert millisecond to week
- Convert millisecond to year (365 d)
- Convert millisecond to microsecond
- Convert millisecond to nanosecond
- Convert millisecond to century (100 yr)
Assumption: year is defined as 365 days and century values are approximate.