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Like Clockwork (Posted on 2004-02-27) Difficulty: 4 of 5
A clock's minute hand has length 4 and its hour hand length 3.

What is the distance between the tips at the moment when it is increasing most rapidly?

  Submitted by DJ    
Rating: 3.7000 (10 votes)
Solution: (Hide)
√7

The simplest way to approach this is through geometry. Since the angle of both hands is moving at a constant rate, the relative angle between them is also changing at a constant rate. So, we can imagine that the hour hand doesn't move at all, and the minute hand moves (radially) at a speed of its original rate less the normal rate of the hour hand.

The problem, then, is to determine at what point the distance between the tips is increasing at the greatest rate. Draw an imaginary segment between the two hands; call this distance d. Since the minute hand is moving at a constant rate relative to the 'stationary' hour hand, the moment when d is increasing most rapidly is simply when the tips are moving directly away from each other. This occurs when d forms a right angle with the minute hand.

Thus, we have a right triangle with the hour hand (4) as the hypotenuse, the minute hand (3) as one leg, and we want to find the length of the other leg. Pythagoras helps us out here:

d = √(4² - 3²)
d = √7

We can also solve the real-time problem the "classic" way, using calculus.

Let the angle between the hands be Θ. Then the distance between the tips is √(25 - 24 cos Θ).

Differentiating, the rate of increase is 12 /dt sin Θ / √(25 - 24 cos Θ).

Differentiating again, this is a maximum when cos Θ (25 - 24 cos Θ) = 12 sin2Θ, and hence when 12 cos2Θ - 25 cos Θ + 12 = 0, or (3 cos Θ - 4)(4 cos Θ - 3) = 0.

We cannot have cos Θ > 1, so the maximum is when cos Θ = 3/4 and the distance is √(25 - 24×3/4) = √7, the same answer we got through the geometric analysis.

Comments: ( You must be logged in to post comments.)
  Subject Author Date
re: No SubjectWilliam2023-09-25 07:17:47
No SubjectWilliam2023-08-26 13:33:12
No Subjectkalyl2023-08-20 23:38:19
No SubjectMari Bartlett2023-05-13 17:21:13
Crypto businessMichaelM2022-11-27 07:18:37
SolutionPuzzle SolutionK Sengupta2008-05-09 16:07:14
answerK Sengupta2007-11-12 02:36:43
SolutionOops, this time I got it, sans spreadsheet solverLarry2004-03-07 10:04:01
Solutionmy formulae for d(t), d'(t)Larry2004-03-07 02:10:02
SolutionCalculus solutionLarry2004-03-07 01:49:03
re(2): why calculusAxorion2004-03-03 22:30:56
Hey Tristan !joe2004-03-03 20:11:33
KISS, keep it simple!!!!!!!joe2004-03-03 20:06:00
re(2): why calculusTristan2004-03-03 20:05:41
re: why calculusSteve2004-03-03 19:02:54
re(2): why calculusAxorion2004-02-29 18:14:12
re: why calculusjoe2004-02-29 16:52:18
why calculusDan Porter2004-02-28 21:12:58
SolutionBest and finalAdy TZIDON2004-02-28 08:56:55
Some Thoughtsre: Spreadsheet solution.===.>best and finalAdy TZIDON2004-02-28 08:35:51
re: Answer (Mistake again)np_rt2004-02-28 01:05:50
Answernp_rt2004-02-28 01:00:09
re: Analytic Solution (with no errors I hope) found an error alreadynp_rt2004-02-28 00:48:28
Analytic Solution (with no errors I hope)np_rt2004-02-28 00:45:57
re: classic distanceSilverKnight2004-02-27 19:09:34
Solutionclassic distanceAdy TZIDON2004-02-27 18:38:23
re(4): Spreadsheet solution.Richard2004-02-27 17:36:39
re(3): Spreadsheet solution.Charlie2004-02-27 17:11:02
re(2): Spreadsheet solution.Richard2004-02-27 16:19:02
re: calculus based solutionRichard2004-02-27 16:11:13
solution (seems too simple)Dan Porter2004-02-27 15:49:39
calculus based solutionred_sox_fan_0320032004-02-27 14:56:31
re: Spreadsheet solution.Charlie2004-02-27 14:46:17
SolutionSpreadsheet solution.Charlie2004-02-27 14:43:07
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