Telling time is easy. But telling time on an analog clock without numbers and indistinguishable minute, second, and hour hands that has also been rotated to a random position? Well, that’s a little more difficult.
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This exact puzzle was reportedly given to 13- to 14-year-olds in Russia as a high school logic test. Economics and math pro Presh Talwalkar of the YouTube channel Mind Your Decisions broke down just how to solve the problem in a surprisingly short video—and it’s a doozy.
The puzzle, accompanied by the below photo, reads as follows:
"Dima saw a strange timepiece in the museum. It had no numbers and it may have been rotated out of position. The second, minute and hour hands were all the same length. But it operated like a standard timepiece. What time was it?"
To solve the problem, Talwalkar marks the hands as Hand A, Hand B, and Hand C to differentiate. First, notice that Hand A and Hand C are pointing to major marks on the dial.
This means if either Hand A or Hand C were the hour hand, then the minute hand and second hand would be overlapping at exactly the number 12. Since no hands are overlapping, Hand B has to be the hour hand, as it's not pointing to a major marker.
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So now there are two cases to consider: Either Hand A is the second hand or Hand C is the second hand. If we assume Hand A is the second hand pointing to the number 12, then Hand B would be almost reaching 7:00. In this scenario, Hand C would be pointing directly at 2. But if it were really 6:10, as this case suggests, Hand B should only be one-sixth of the way to 7:00, not practically reaching 7:00.
So this means Hand A is the minute hand and Hand C is the second hand. Considering the orientation of the clock, the time is exactly 4:50. To check your answer, just look at Hand B. It's indeed five-sixths of the way to the next hour marking, making this answer accurate. Trust me, it's easier to watch Talwalkar explain this with an accompanying visual.
Then, Talwalkar takes it a step further, concluding the time is likely 4:50 p.m., since not many museums are open at 4:50 a.m. How about some additional logic added to your logic problem?
But let's be real: This is just a very poorly designed timepiece, and Dima should invest in a digital clock. It takes way less effort.
Katie Dupere is an editor and writer in New York City specializing in identity, internet culture, social good, lifestyle and beauty topics.
