A Tick Question.

Answer 6: 7.5 Degrees.

Did you think the answer was 0? You are not alone!

Most people rush into answering the question and forget that the hour hand moves too; at 3.15, it will actually be a quarter of the way between 3 and 4 (because a quarter of an hour has gone by).

To calculate the answer…

• You know that the entire clock is 360°
• The number of degrees between 3 and 4 will be a 12th of that.
• 360°/ 12 = 30°
• And the hour hand will have traveled one quarter of the way between that 30°
• 30/ 4 = 7.5°
• So if the minute hand is at 3, then the distance between both hands is actually 7.5°

This is exactly why you should never rush into brainteasers!

(It probably didn’t help that I put a picture of a clock, telling completely the wrong time, below the question did it?!)

Itching to know another brainteaser answer? Return to the original post here.