How many times in a full day of 24 hours are the hands of a clock at right angles to each other?

22Correct answerYour answer24Correct answerYour answer44Correct answerYour answer48Correct answerYour answer

Show the answer and explanation

CorrectNot quiteAnswer C

Correct answer: C

In every 12 hours the minute hand gains 11 full turns on the hour hand, and in each gain the hands are at right angles twice.
So 22 times in 12 hours, and $2 \times 22 = 44$ times in 24 hours.

Worth noting

48 assumes twice every hour. Near 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock, one right angle is shared between two hours, so it is 44, not 48. 22 is the count for 12 hours.

Concept: Number of right angles in a day
Typical timeTypical: 40 s
Your timeYours: —

The rule this testsAngles between the hands

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Ten questions from Calendars and Clocks, at your own pace.

How many times in a full day of 24 hours are the hands of a clock at right angles to each other?

Explanation