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jmc

geometry junior

Problem

What is the measure of the acute angle formed by the hands of the clock at 4:20 PM?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
Solution
Imagine the clock as a circle. The minute hand will be at the 4 at 20 minutes past the hour. The central angle formed between and is degrees (since it is 1/12 of a full circle, 360). By , the hour hand would have moved way from 4 to 5 since is reducible to . One third of the way from 4 to 5 is one third of 30 degrees, which is 10 degrees past the 4. Recall that the minute hand is at the 4, so the angle between them is .
Final answer
D