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The LITTLE hand is the minute hand. Little does not mean short, it means thin. The longer hand is the LITTLE hand. The BIG hand is the hour hand. Big does not mean long, it means fat, wider. The BIG hand is the hour hand because it denotes the larger unit of time measure. An hour is 60 times larger than a minute. So then, the LITTLE hand denotes the smaller unit of time, a minute.

Somewhere along the way some not-too-bright primary school teacher didn't get it right and passed it along incorrectly and lots of people since then have totally missed the connection between BIG=HOUR and LITTLE=MINUTE.

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Q: Is the little hand on a clock the hour hand or minute hand?
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Related questions

Which hand on a clock is the hour hand?

The short one Yes, the hour hand is traditionally shorter than the minute hand. However, the hour hand is known as the BIG hand because an hour is bigger than a minute. That means the minute hand is known as the LITTLE hand since a minute is LITTLE when compared to an hour. This is the historical explanation of the labels for the two hands, based on function an expressed in form by the hour hand having a broader, albeit shorter, design than the minute hand which is longer but narrower. Hour = bigger than minute = the BIG hand Minute = smaller than hour = the LITTLE hand


How many degrees does the minute hand of a clock turn in 1 hour?

The minute hand of a clock turns about 360 degrees each hour.


What is the Little hand on the clock?

The little hand on the clock is known as the hour hand.


What do you call a clock that has a minute hand and a hour hand?

It's an analog clock. The BIG hand tells which hour you are in because an hour is the bigger unit of time measure and the minute is the smaller unit. The little hand tells what minute of the current hour you are in. Granted, most analog clocks have one longer hand and one shorter hand but they are correctly referred to as BIG for hour and LITTLE for minute. Think about it, function over form. Don't be a sheep, this is the original reasoning behind the size and shape of the hands.


How many times in an hour will the hour hand and the minute hand meet on a clock?

Once


Is there another word for clock hands?

Hour hand and minute hand.


Who invented the minute hand and hour hand?

Whoever invented the clock.


Why is the minute hand longer on a clock?

because a minute is faster than an hour.


What is the big hand on the clock called?

The long hand is called the minute hand, the shorter fat one is called the hour hand. Based on historical design the BIG hand is the hour hand because an hour is bigger than a minute. Function first, then form. Traditionally clocks had fatter hands for hour and thinner hands for minute, thus BIG is hour and LITTLE is minute. Yes the minute hand is usually longer than the hour hand but on most clocks the hour hand is larger not just shorter. Don't confuse long, big, little, and short.


What are the three hands on the clock called?

The hour hand, the minute hand and the second hand.


What does four thirty look like on a analog clock?

the big hand is the hour hand and the little hand is the minute hand the big hand is on the 6 and the little hand is in betweenthe 4 and the 5 hand not cheating have fun:)


What is the measure of the angle formed by the minute hand and the hour hand of a clock when the clock shows 300?

90 degrees