Clock based math problems are among the most challenging and interesting problem
s to crack.
Basics
For every 60 units that a minute hand move in an hour , the hour hand moves 5 un
its.
For 12 hours the hour hand completes 360 degrees
1 hour = 360/12 = 30 degrees
60 minutes = 30 degrees
Degrees turned by hour hand in 1 minute = 0.5 degrees
For 1 hour the minute hand completes 360 degrees
1 hour = 360 degrees
60 minutes = 360 degrees
Degrees turned by minute hand in 1 minute = 6 degrees
Lets test what we have learned:
Q) Find the degree between hour hand and minute hand at 3:32'
Hour hand = 3
1 minute ( hour hand) = 0.5 degrees
3 hours = 3*0.5*60(1 hour= 60 minutes)
3 hours ( 3'o clock) = 90 degrees
Minute Hand = 32'
1 minute(minute hand) = 6 degrees
32 minutes(minute hand) = 32*6 = 192 degrees
For the 32 minutes, the hour hand moves by an additional 16 degrees
= 32*0.5
So Hour hand at 32 minutes = 90+16=106 degrees
Degrees between minute hand and hour hand at 3:32' = 192-106
=86 degrees
Number of right angles
1) A clock makes two right angles between 2 hours
2) The clock does not makes 48 right angles in 24 hours( 1 day)
clock based problem --------
P.S: Between 2 -4 and 8-10 there are 3 right angles and not 4
The first right angle between 3 - 4 (9-10) and second right angle bw:
2-3(8-9) are the same.
Q) At what time between 3 and 4 p.m is the first right angle formed
At 3 p.m
No of units that the hour hand is ahead of the minute hand = 15 units
For 90 degrees the minute hand should be 15 units ahead of hour hand
No of units that the minute hand has to cover = 15+15 = 30 units
Distance covered by minute hand over hour hand in one hour = 55 units
1 hour = 55 units
x hour = 30 units
x = 30/55 = 6/11 of an hour
So first right angle between 3 and 4 is at 6/11 of an hour
Converting 6/11 to minutes = 6/11 * ( 60) minutes
= 360/11 minutes
= 32 ( 8/11) minutes
Converting 8/11 minutes to seconds = 8/11*(60) = 480/11 = 43.6363..
So the first right angle is at 3 : 32 : 43.64
What is the formula for answering Clock angle problems?
If you are looking for the angle between the hands, try this:
M= minutes
H= Hours
Angle = 6M -(30H+M/2)
if you get a negative angle it simply means that the hour hand is ahead of th mi
nute hand.
to derive the formula consider this:
each hour division is 1/12 of 360 degrees or 30 degrees.
each minute division is 1/60 of a circle or 6 degrees:
take and example of 2:20
in twenty minutes the minute hand has moved 20x6 degrees
in two hours the hour hand move 2x30 but in the extra twenty minuts it moved a t
hird of the 30 degrees toward the 3
The angle is the degrees the minute hand moved minus the movement of the hour ha
nd
putting it togetther we have 20x6 -(2x30+30/3)
=120-70=50 degrees
using the formula: 6M-(30H+M/2)
=120-(60+20/2)=50
To find the angle bvetween the hands of a clock....
if "H" is the hours and "M" is the mins...then angle can be directly obtained by
ANGLE = 30H - (11/2)M
For example...when da time is 9:30...angle is
30*9 - (11/2)*30 = 270-165=105 degrees..
eg) when the time is 9:00
angle=9*30- 0 == 270... ( we can conclude that it is in anticlockwise direction
and say that it is 360-270 =90)....
or there is another way to calculate the angle directly....take the time as 8:60
the we have
angle=8*30 - (11/2)60 == 240-330 = 90 degrees....
really this formula would help all of us in solving the problems on clocks in a
much lesser time...
Here's my approach w/o having to remember any formulas:
At 6 o'clock, the angle between hour-hand and minute-hand is 180 degrees.
In every minute, hour-hand rotates 0.5 degrees (i.e., in 1 hour it rotates 360/1
2 = 30 degrees ... so in 1 minute it rotates 30/60 = 0.5 degrees).
Similarly, in every minute, minute-hand rotates 6 degrees (i.e., in 1 hour it ro
tates 360 degrees ... so in 1 minute it rotates 360/60 = 6 degrees).
Say, after x minutes the angle between hour-hand and minute-hand reduces to 59 d
egrees. Now, we can write the following equation with these details ...
180 - {degrees rotated by hour & minute hands in x minutes} = 59
degrees rotated by hour & minute hands in x minutes = 6x-0.5x =5.5x
i.e., 180 - 5.5x = 59
i.e., x = 121/5.5 = 22 minutes
Hence the time is 6:22 ...
