Definition
Duration
Duration is the amount of time from the start of an event to its end.
What it means
Clock time tells when something happens. Duration tells how long it keeps happening. Count forward from the start to the end, crossing an hour or midnight when needed.
Remember it
Start → time passes → end: the gap is the duration.
Example
A film starts at 4:45 p.m. and ends at 6:10 p.m. From 4:45 to 5:00 is 15 minutes, then 5:00 to 6:10 is 70 minutes. The duration is 85 minutes, or 1 hour 25 minutes.
Watch for
A finishing clock time is not a duration: 6:10 p.m. says when the film ends, not how long it lasted.
Common mix-up
Subtracting clock digits directly can fail across an hour; count through the boundary or use a timeline.
Exact meaning
Duration is the amount of time between a start and an end. It is measured or calculated as elapsed time in units such as seconds, minutes, hours, or days.