At which one of the following times, do the hour hand and the minute hand of the clock make an angle of 180° with each other?
- A.At 7:00 hours.
- B.Between 7:00 hours and 7:05 hours.
- C.At 7:05 hours.
- D.Between 7:05 hours and 7:10 hours.
▶ Answer & Explanation
Correct answer: D. Between 7:05 hours and 7:10 hours.
The minute hand moves 360 degrees in 60 minutes, or 6 degrees per minute. The hour hand moves 360 degrees in 12 hours, or 0.5 degrees per minute. At 7:00, the hour hand is at 7 and the minute hand is at 12, an angle of 210 degrees. For the hands to be 180 degrees apart, the minute hand must be approximately 30 minutes ahead of the hour hand. At roughly 7:30, they are 180 degrees apart. Between 7:05 and 7:10, the minute hand moves from the 1 to the 2. The hour hand also moves slightly forward. The relative speed of the minute hand with respect to the hour hand is 5.5 degrees per minute. To achieve a 180-degree separation from their positions at 7:00, it takes approximately 180 / 5.5 minutes after 7:00, which is about 32.7 minutes. However, the question asks when the angle is exactly 180 degrees. At 7:00, the angle is 210 degrees. The hands become opposite when the minute hand gains 180 degrees on the hour hand from their 7:00 positions, taking 180/5.5 = 32.7 minutes, so around 7:32. The exact time when the angle is 180 degrees is closer to 7:30. Considering the options, the hands would be opposite each other between 7:05 and 7:10 is incorrect as they start far apart and the minute hand is moving away from the hour hand. The angle will be 180 degrees past 7:30.
Source: UPSC csat 2021