Returns the second component of a time
What is the SECOND Function?
The SECOND Function[1] is categorized under Excel DATE/TIME functions. The function returns the second component of a time as a number between 0-59. For example, it will return 49 for 1:19:49 PM.
Formula
=SECOND(serial_number)
The SECOND function uses only one argument:
Serial_number (required argument) – The time that contains the second we want to find.
The argument can be entered as:
- A decimal (serial number) representation of an Excel time
- A text representation of a time
- A reference to a cell containing a time
- A time value returned from another Excel function or formula
How to use the SECOND Function in Excel?
As a worksheet function, the SECOND function can be entered as part of a formula in a cell of a worksheet. To understand the uses of the function, let’s consider an example:
Example
Let’s see how this function works using the following inputs:
The results in Excel are shown in the screenshot below:
In case we get an error, we need to remember that Excel stores dates and times as serial numbers. For example, the date January 1, 2000, 12:00 PM is equal to the serial number 32526.5 in Excel. To check that Excel correctly recognizes a date or time, we can temporarily format the date as a number.
A few notes about the SECOND Function
- Time values are a portion of a date value and represented by a decimal number (for example, 12:00 PM is represented as 0.5 because it is half of a day).
- #VALUE! error – Occurs when the given serial_number is not a valid Excel time.
Click here to download the sample Excel file
Additional Resources
Thanks for reading CFI’s guide to important Excel functions! By taking the time to learn and master these functions, you’ll significantly speed up your financial analysis. To learn more, check out these additional CFI resources:
- Excel Functions for Finance
- Advanced Excel Formulas Course
- Advanced Excel Formulas You Must Know
- Excel Shortcuts for PC and Mac
Article Sources
- SECOND Function
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This article describes the formula syntax and usage of the SECOND function in Microsoft Excel.
Description
Returns the seconds of a time value. The second is given as an integer in the range 0 (zero) to 59.
Syntax
SECOND(serial_number)
The SECOND function syntax has the following arguments:
Serial_number Required. The time that contains the seconds you want to find. Times may be entered as text strings within quotation marks (for example, "6:45 PM"), as decimal numbers (for example, 0.78125, which represents 6:45 PM), or as results of other formulas or functions (for example, TIMEVALUE("6:45 PM")).
Remark
Time values are a portion of a date value and represented by a decimal number (for example, 12:00 PM is represented as 0.5 because it is half of a day).
Example
Copy the example data in the following table, and paste it in cell A1 of a new Excel worksheet. For formulas to show results, select them, press F2, and then press Enter. If you need to, you can adjust the column widths to see all the data.
Time | ||
4:48:18 PM | ||
4:48 PM | ||
Formula | Description | Result |
=SECOND(A3) | Seconds in the first time (18) | 18 |
=SECOND(A4) | Seconds in the second time (0) | 0 |