What is 1:20 PM in Military Time? – Military Time Converter

Military time, also called astronomical time, is a 24-hpur timekeeping system where the day begins at midnight and ends at midnight. Apart from the military, the aviation industry and the weather forecasting community all rely on military time.

With the military time system, the 24-hour period goes from hour 0 to hour 23. Thus, 1:20 PM in standard time corresponds to 13:20 military time.

Today, we will learn more about converting military time to standard time, as well as reading and writing it.

Converting 1:20 PM to Military Time

Military time is a 24-hour timekeeping system employed by the military, aviation, navigation, meteorology, astronomy, computing, logistics, emergency services, hospitals, and other fields where unambiguous timekeeping is necessary. It is called the 24-hour time or astronomical time.

In military time, the day begins at midnight and ends at the next midnight and is split into 24 hours. The hours go from 00 to 23, with 00 equivalent to midnight and 23 corresponding to 11 PM in standard time. The minutes are counted from 00 to 59.

What time is 1320? Well, 1:20 PM is written as 13:20 in military time, since 1:00 PM is the day’s 13th hour, plus 20 minutes past the hour.

Converting 12-Hour Regular Time to Military Time

You will almost certainly encounter military time at some point, so it is useful to be familiar with it at the very least.

The steps for converting 12-hour standard time to military time are as follows:

1. First, determine the time of day. If it’s before noon, leave it alone. Add 12 hours to the hour if it is afternoon.
2. Remove the AM or PM label. There should be a colon to separate the hours and minutes.
3. To each single-digit minute, add leading zeros.
4. For example, 10:30 a.m. would be converted to 1030 in military time. 2:00 PM would be adjusted to 1400, and 4:05 PM would become 1405.

Check out this handy military time converter chart to learn how to convert military time to standard time without memorizing any complicated formulas!

24-Hour Military Time to 12-Hour Regular Time

Military Time Versus Regular Time

The primary distinction between military time and standard time is the presentation of the hours. Hours in standard time range from 1 to 12, while hours in military time range from 0 to 24.

Even though a colon is not used in military time, the minutes and seconds are expressed in the same way in both regular time and military time.

How to Write Military Time

When you have to write a letter, memo, instructions, or even a short note and want to use military time, here are some rules to remember:

1. When representing the time, always use four digits.
2. Use a colon to separate the hours and minutes.
3. When writing military time, do not use acronyms for the terms “hour” or “hours.” For example, “1300 hours” is correct, but “1300hrs” is incorrect.

How to Read Military Time

Imagine reading the news or getting any type of communication where the military time system is used. There will always be confusion when you are trying to figure out the equivalent of a certain military time to regular time. If you want to read them correctly, here are some basic guidelines:

1. The military uses a four-digit time format. The first two digits indicate the hour, and the second set of digits indicate the minutes.
2. Thus, when reading 1:20 PM in military time you see this as 13:20 and you read it as thirteen hundred hours and twenty minutes.
3. Each hour is given its own number in military time, therefore there is no need for a.m. or p.m.
4. When reading the military time out loud, spell out the minutes. For example, the 1:20 clock in regular time is “13:20 hours” and is pronounced “thirteen hundred hours and twenty.”

Advantages of Using Military Time Over Regular Time

There are many advantages to using military time over regular time.

1. It is unambiguous. You also do not get confused between AM and PM. Thus, there’s no risk of misunderstanding the time.
2. Second, military time is more efficient. It is easier to read and speak than regular time.
3. Third, military time is more accurate. It is also used to measure time intervals in seconds, minutes, and hours. Meanwhile, regular time is only used to measure time intervals in minutes and hours.

What is 1:20 PM in Military Time if It Were in the Morning?

Based on the 24 hour clock converter shown above, if 1:20 PM were in the morning, it is written as 01:20.

Military time does not use AM or PM. Thus, the hours are simply written from 00 to 23, regardless of whether it is morning, afternoon, evening, or night.

Conclusion

After learning what is 1:20 PM in military time, you must already know that knowing military time is useful.

When traveling, you check flight schedules using military time. It’s also helpful when working in a field that demands coordination with individuals in different time zones. Understanding and interpreting time-sensitive information becomes easier with the use of military time.

Military time can seem complicated at first. However, with a little practice, you’ll be reading and writing it like an expert in no time!

Read more: 

• 15:45 in military time.
• Reasons why the military use 24 hour time.

Everett Bledsoe

I am Everett Bledsoe, taking on the responsibility of content producer for The Soldiers Project. My purpose in this project is to give honest reviews on the gear utilized and tested over time. Of course, you cannot go wrong when checking out our package of information and guide, too, as they come from reliable sources and years of experience.