11 Clocks

A clock’s (or a watch’s) dial is split into 60 b) The angle formed by the hands when
equal sections called minute gaps. The hour they are pointing in opposing direc-
hand and minute hand are the two hands of tions is 180 degrees.
the clock. The minute hand (or long hand) c) The hands are in a straight line when
displays the time in minutes, while the hour they are parallel or at right angles
hand (or shorthand) displays the time in to one another. Therefore, there is
hours. The minute hand covers 60 minutes a 0° or 180° angle between the two
in a minute whereas the hour hand only cov- hands.
ers 5 minutes. As a result, the minute hand
3. Important points on ‘Movement of the
surpasses the hour hand by 55 minute spac-
hands of the clock’.
es in an hour, or 60 minutes. 1°
a) The hour hand advances through
2
Some Basic Facts in each minute whereas the minute
1. One hour has: hand travels through 6°. As a result,

a) Both hands line up at the same time; 1°

the minute hand advances 5
2
b) 
The hands are straight (pointing in
faster than the hour hand does in a
opposing directions) at the same
minute.
time. The hands are spaced apart by
b) The hour hand advances 12 times
30 minutes in this arrangement;
more slowly than the minute hand.
c) 
Both hands are at 90° angles. The
c) 
A clock is 10 minutes too fast if it
hands are 15 minutes apart in this
displays 6.10 when the true time is
arrangement.
6. Furthermore, if it says 5.50 when
2. Important points on ‘Angle formed hands
the time should be 6, it is 10 minutes
of clock’:
late.
a) The angle formed by the hands when
they are congruent is 0°.

Clocks 269
 Practice Exercise

1. In a shopping mall, an accurate clock 5. In a sweet shop, a wall clock which gains
shows 9 o’clock in the morning. If the 5 seconds in 4 minutes was set right
clock shows 5 o’clock in the afternoon at 8 a.m. In the afternoon of the same
then find how many degrees will the hour day, find the true time of the wall clock.
hand rotate? When the clock indicated quarter past 3
(A) 150° o’clock?
(B) 210° (A) 6 p.m.
(C) 180° (B) 8 p.m.
(D) 160° (C) 7 p.m.
(E) 240° (D) 9 p.m.
(E) 4 p.m.
2. Find the reflex angle between the hands
of a clock at 11:45? 6. If hands of clock coincide every 62 min-
1° utes then find by how much does a clock
(A) 279
2 lose per day?
1° 1
(B) 82 (A) 52 min
2 6
1° 1
(C) 352 (B) 24 min
2 7
1° 7
(D) 278 (C) 103 min
2 11
1° (D) 40 min
(E) 241
2 1
(E) 11 min
3. The clock starts at noon. By 20 min- 2
utes past 4, the hour hand has turned 7. At what time between 8 and 9 o’clock
through _____. will the hands of a clock be in the same
(A) 195° straight line but not together?
(B) 125° 7
(A) 10 min past 9
(C) 145° 11
(D) 105° 9
(B) 10 min past 8
11
(E) 130°
9
(C) 10 min past 9
4. The clock starts at noon. By _____ the 11
hour hand has turned through 155°? 8
(D) 10 min past 8
11
(A) 5 hours 10 minutes
10
(B) 4 hours 12 minutes (E) 10 min past 8
11
(C) 5 hours 20 minutes
8. At what time between 3:30 and 4 will the
(D) 3 hours 15 minutes
hands of a clock be at right angles?
(E) 4 hours 20 minutes

270 Clocks
 7 12. Find the time between 6 and 7 o’clock
(A) 31 min past 3
11 when the two hands of a clock are 5
(B) 40 min past 3 minutes apart.
(C) 30 min past 3 2
(A) 39 minutes past 6 and
7 11
(D) 30 min past 3
10 7
18 minutes past 6 o’clock
8 11
(E) 32 min past 3
11 6
(B) 24 minutes past 6 and
9. Find the angle between the minute hand 11
and the hour hand of a clock when the 3
19 minutes past 6 o’clock
11
time is 5:10.
2
(A) 95° (C) 38 minutes past 6 and
11
(B) 72°
3
(C) 15° 27 minutes past 6 o’clock
11
(D) 0° 8
(D) 43 minutes past 6 and
(E) 60° 11
10
10. At what time between 5 and 6 clock are 20 minutes past 6 o’clock
11
the hands of a clock together?
(E) None of these
7
(A) 21 minutes past 5 o’clock
11 13. Find the angle between the two hands of
8 a clock at 20 minutes past 6 o’clock.
(B) 19 minutes past 5 o’clock
11
(A) 67.5°
6
(C) 21 minutes past 5 o’clock (B) 37.5°
11
7 (C) 52.5°
(D) 23 minutes past 5 o’clock
11 (D) 49.5°
3
(E) 27 minutes past 5 o’clock (E) 70°
11
11. Find at what time between 3 and 4 14. Find the angle between the two hands of
o’clock will the hands of a clock be in the a clock at 45 minutes ahead 6 o’clock.
same straight line but not together. (A) 54.5°
8 (B) 49.5°
(A) 42 minutes past 3 o’clock
11 (C) 37.5°
3
(B) 49 minutes past 3 o’clock (D) 67.5°
11
1 (E) 42.5°
(C) 19 minutes past 3 o’clock
11
15. How many times the hands of a clock are
2
(D) 38 minutes past 3 o’clock in a straight line in one day?
11
2 (A) 20 times
(E) 27 minutes past 3 o’clock
11 (B) 40 times
(C) 22 times

Clocks 271
 (D) 44 times (C) 47.5°
(E) None of these (D) 85°

16. How many times do the hands of a clock (E) 105°

point towards each other in one day 20. The minute hand of a clock overtakes
(A) 20 the hour hand at intervals of 72 minutes.
(B) 24 How much in a day does the clock gain or
(C) 22 lose?
(D) 12 9
(A) 21 min loss
11
(E) None of these
8
(B) 32 min gain
17. Robin’s watch gains 9 minutes every 11
hour. How many degrees does the sec- 4
(C) 42 min gain
ond hand move in every minute? 11
(A) 390° 6
(D) 24 min loss
11
(B) 414°
10
(C) 415° (E) 130 min loss
11
(D) 285°
21. The minute hand of a clock overtakes
(E) 408°
the hour hand at intervals of 65 minutes.
18. If a clock takes 30 seconds to strike 15, How much in a day does the clock gain or
how much time will it take to strike 7? lose?
(A) 8 seconds 21
(A) 8 min gain
(B) 10 seconds 121
(C) 16 seconds 91
(B) 10 min loss
(D) 18 seconds 121
120
(E) 12 seconds (C) 12 min gain
121
19. Find the angle between the two hands of 10
(D) 10 min loss
a clock at 25 minutes past 3 o’clock. 143
(A) 64° 109
(E) 11 min gain
(B) 48° 21

Solutions

1. (E) 2. (A)
45 3 47
Time between 9 o’clock and 5 o’clock Given, 11 :=
45 11= 11 = hours
60 4 4
= 8 hours
47
Angle traced by the hour hand in 8 hours Angle traced by hour hand in hours
4
 360   360 47 
=  × 8 =° 240° =  × °
 12   12 4 
 705   1
=  =  °  352  °
 2   2

272 Clocks
 Angle traced by minute hand in  1 720 29 
= × × 
 360   15 29 4 
45 minutes=  × 45 =° 270°
 60  hours of the correct clock = 12 hours of
∴ Reflex angle the correct clock.
 1  1° The correct time is 12 hours after 8 a.m.,
= 360° −  352 − 270=
 ° 360° − 82
 2  2 i.e., 8 p.m.
1°
= 279 6. (C)
2
3. (E) In a clock 55 min spaces are covered in
60 minutes
Angle traced by hour hand in 12 hours
In a clock 60 min spaces are covered in
= 360°
 60 
Angle traced by hour hand in 4 hours 20  × 60  min.
 55 
20 1 13
minutes
= 4 = 4= hours 3600 720 5
60 3 3 = = = 65 min
55 11 11
 360 13 
=  × = ° 130°  5 
 12 3 Loss in 48= min  65 − 62 
 11 
4. (A) 720
= − 62
Angle traced by hour hand in 12 hours 11
= 360° 720 − 682 38
= = min
And let angle traced by hour hand in x 11 11
hours = 155°  38 1 
Loss in 24 hours=  × × 24 × 60 
 11 48 
 360 
∴ Required time=  × x =° 155°
 12   38  1140
=  × 30  =
12 155 31  11  11
⇒ x= 155 × = =
360 30 6 7
= 103 min
1 11
= 5 hours
6 7. (E)
= 5 hours 10 minutes
When the hands of the clock are in the
5. (B) same straight line but not together, they
Time from 8 a.m. to 3.15 p.m. = 7 hours are 30 minute spaces apart.
15 minute At 8 o’clock , they are 20 minute spaces
1 29 apart.
= 7= hours
4 4 ∴ Minute hand will have to gain 10 min-
Given, 4 minute 5 seconds of this clock ute spaces

= 4 minutes of the correct clock. 55 minute spaces are gained in 60

29 1 minute.
⇒ hours of this clock = hours of  60 
720 15 10 minute spaces are gained in  × 10 
 55 
the correct clock. min
29 120 10
⇒ hours of this clock = min = 10 min
4 11 11

Clocks 273
 10 11. (B)
∴ Required time = 10 min. past 8.
11 As we know that two hands of a clock
8. (E) will be in the same straight line but not
At 3 o’clock, the hands are 15 min. space together between a and (a + 1) o’clock at
apart to be at right angles and that too 12
(5a − 30) minutes past a, where a > 6
between 3:30 and 4, the minute hand 11
12
has to gain ( 15 + 15 ) =
30 min spaces and (5a + 30) minutes past a, when
11
55 minute space are gained in 60 minute a<6
 60  Here a = 3 < 6
30 minute spaces are gained in  × 30 
 55  12 12
(5a + 30) = (5 × 3 + 30)
min. 11 11
 360   12  540 1
=  45 ×  = = 49
=  min.  11  11 11
 11 
8 So the hands will be in the same straight
= 32 min.
11 1
8 line but not together at 49 minutes
∴ Required time = 32 min. past 3 11
11
past 3 o’clock.
9. (A)
1 12. (C)
Angle traced by hour hand in 5 hours
6 As we know that between a and ( a + 1)
31
= hours o’clock, the two hands of a clock the x
6
12
 360 31  minutes apart at ( 5x  x ) minutes
= ×  = 155° 11
 12 6
past a o’clock.
Angle traced by minute hand in 10 Here a = 6 and x = 5
 360  12 12
minute = × 10  =60° ∴ ( 5a ± x ) = (5 × 6 ± 5)
 60  11 11
∴ Required angle= ( 155° − 60°=
) 95° 420 300
= and
11 11
10. (E) 38
2
and 27
3
As we know that two hands of the clock 11 11
will be together between a and (a + 1) ∴ The hands will be 5 minutes apart at
2 3
 60a  38 minutes past 6 and 27 minutes
‘o’clock at   minutes past a’o clock. 11 11
 11 
part 6 o’clock.
Hence a = 5
60 × 5 300 3 13. (E)
∴ = = 27
11 11 11 Her H = 6 and M = 20
3
∴ Hands of a clock are together at 27  M M
11 Required angle= 30  H −  +
 5 2
minutes past 5 o’clock

274 Clocks
  20  20 ∴ In every 60 seconds true time it moves
= 30  6 − +
 5  2 69 seconds = 69 × 6 = 414°
= 30 (6 − 4 ) + 10
18. (E)
= 30 ( 2 ) + 10 In order to near 12 strikes, there are 11
= 60 + 10 = 70 intervals between 12 strike and time of
each interval is uniform
14. (D)
Hence, time taken to hear each strike
Here H = 6 and M = 45 30
= = 2 seconds
M  M 15
Required angle
= 30  − H  −
5  2 Now time takes to hear five strike, there
 45  45 are 7 – 1
= 30  − 6 −
 5  2 ie 6 × 2 =12 seconds.
= 30 ( 9 − 6) − 22.5 Hence it will take 12 seconds for a clock
=90 − 22.5 =67.5° to strike 7

15. (D) 19. (C)

In every 12 hours the hands of a clock are Given H = 3 and M = 25
repeated 11 times. Required angle
∴ In every 12 hours the hands of a clock M  M
= 30  − H  − degrees
coincide 11 times and are opposite to 5  2
each other 11 times.  25  25
= 30  − 3 −
∴ In every 12 hours, hands of the clock in  5  2
a straight line 11 + 11 = 22 times =30 ( 2 ) − 12.5 =60 − 12.5 =47.5°
∴ In every 24 hours hands of clock are in
20. (E)
a straight line 44 times
Here M = 72
16. (C) ∴ The clock gains a loses in a day
In every 12 hours, the hands of a clock  720   60 × 24 
=  − M  
point towards each other 11 times  11  M 
So, the hands of clock point towards  720   60 × 24 
=  − 72   
each other 22 times in one day  11   72 
 720 − 792 
17. (B) =  ( 20)
 11 
According to given information
−72 −1440
Minute hand gains 9 minutes in every 60 = × 20 = minutes
11 11
minutes
Since the sign is negative
Second hand gains 9 seconds in every 60
10
seconds The clock losses by 130 minutes.
11
In 1 sec angle traced by hand = 6°

Clocks 275
 21. (D)  5   288 
=   
Here M = 65  11   13 
The clock gains or losses in a day 5 288 1440
=× =
 720   60 × 24  11 13 143
=  − M  
 11  M  10
= 10
143
 720   60 × 24 
=  − 65    Since the sign is positive.
 11   65 
10
The clock gains by 10 minutes.
143

276 Clocks