What part of an hour elapses from 4.56 P.M. to 5.32 P.M.?

### Concept & Formula\n\nTo find the fraction of an hour that has elapsed, compute the total elapsed time in minutes and divide it by the total minutes in one hour (60 minutes).\n$$\\text{Fraction of an hour} = \\frac{\\text{Elapsed time in minutes}}{60}$$ \n\n### Step-by-Step Solution\n\n* **Calculate the duration from 4.56 P.M. to 5.32 P.M.:**\n * From 4.56 P.M. to 5.00 P.M. = 4 minutes\n * From 5.00 P.M. to 5.32 P.M. = 32 minutes\n * Total elapsed time = $4 + 32 = 36$ minutes\n\n* **Convert to a fraction of an hour:**\n $$\\text{Fraction} = \\frac{36}{60}$$\n \n Divide the numerator and denominator by their greatest common divisor, 12:\n $$\\text{Fraction} = \\frac{3}{5}$$\n\n### Exam Strategy & Shortcut\n\nQuickly compute the difference as: \n$$32 - (-4) = 36\\text{ minutes}$$\nRecognize instantly from mental math fractions that $\\frac{36}{60}$ simplifies directly to $\\frac{3}{5}$ since $12 \\times 3 = 36$ and $12 \\times 5 = 60$.\n\n### Common Pitfall\n\nMiscalculating time differences by treating them as standard base-100 decimals (e.g., doing $5.32 - 4.56$ and getting $0.76$) is a highly frequent error. Always convert time using the base-60 system.\n\n### Final Answer\n\n**Therefore, the correct answer is \\frac{3}{5}.**