Python Program to Convert Seconds to Hours and Minutes

You can convert seconds to hours and minutes in Python by using integer division and modulus operators like this: hours = seconds // 3600 and minutes = (seconds % 3600) // 60.

Examples

Input3600

Output1 hour(s) and 0 minute(s)

Input7265

Output2 hour(s) and 1 minute(s)

Input59

Output0 hour(s) and 0 minute(s)

How to Think About It

To convert seconds into hours and minutes, first find how many full hours fit into the total seconds by dividing by 3600 (seconds in an hour). Then find the leftover seconds after removing hours and convert those into minutes by dividing by 60. This breaks down the total seconds into understandable time units.

Algorithm

1

Get the total number of seconds as input.

2

Calculate hours by dividing seconds by 3600 using integer division.

3

Calculate remaining seconds after hours using modulus operator.

4

Calculate minutes by dividing the remaining seconds by 60 using integer division.

5

Print or return the hours and minutes.

Code

python

seconds = int(input("Enter seconds: "))
hours = seconds // 3600
minutes = (seconds % 3600) // 60
print(f"{hours} hour(s) and {minutes} minute(s)")

Output

Enter seconds: 7265
2 hour(s) and 1 minute(s)

Dry Run

Let's trace the input 7265 seconds through the code

1

Input seconds

seconds = 7265

2

Calculate hours

hours = 7265 // 3600 = 2

3

Calculate remaining seconds

remaining = 7265 % 3600 = 65

4

Calculate minutes

minutes = 65 // 60 = 1

5

Print result

"2 hour(s) and 1 minute(s)"

Variable	Value
seconds	7265
hours	2
remaining seconds	65
minutes	1

Why This Works

Step 1: Divide seconds by 3600

Using // gives the number of full hours because 3600 seconds equal one hour.

Step 2: Find leftover seconds

The modulus operator % finds remaining seconds after extracting full hours.

Step 3: Convert leftover seconds to minutes

Dividing leftover seconds by 60 using // gives full minutes.

Alternative Approaches

Using divmod function

python

seconds = int(input("Enter seconds: "))
hours, remainder = divmod(seconds, 3600)
minutes, _ = divmod(remainder, 60)
print(f"{hours} hour(s) and {minutes} minute(s)")

divmod returns quotient and remainder in one step, making code cleaner and easier to read.

Using datetime module

python

import datetime
seconds = int(input("Enter seconds: "))
time = datetime.timedelta(seconds=seconds)
hours = time.seconds // 3600
minutes = (time.seconds % 3600) // 60
print(f"{hours} hour(s) and {minutes} minute(s)")

Using datetime.timedelta is useful for more complex time calculations but adds extra import.

Complexity: O(1) time, O(1) space

Time Complexity

The program performs a fixed number of arithmetic operations regardless of input size, so it runs in constant time O(1).

Space Complexity

Only a few variables are used to store intermediate results, so space complexity is constant O(1).

Which Approach is Fastest?

All approaches run in constant time, but using divmod is slightly more readable and efficient by combining division and modulus.

Approach	Time	Space	Best For
Basic arithmetic operators	O(1)	O(1)	Simple and clear code
divmod function	O(1)	O(1)	Cleaner code with combined operations
datetime module	O(1)	O(1)	Complex time calculations, readability