What Time Is It?

Solution 1:

It is 20 minutes past noon.

Reasoning: let M be minutes past noon, then there will be 2M past one o'clock.  Since we have 80 minutes difference, then one hour (60 minutes) plus M must be 80.

60 - M + 2M = 80 *

60 + M = 80
thus M = 20

* see the diagram below, how to get the equation

Solution 2:

It is 12 minutes past midnight.

Reasoning: let M be the minutes past one o'clock, then it will be 2M past the hour right now, and 6M (3 times 2M) past 10 o'clock.  Thus M has to be smaller than 10 (if it was 10 then there would be 60 minutes after 10, which is 11 o'clock, and in the question we have 10 o'clock - thus contradiction).

We also know that between 6M minutes past 10 o'clock and M minutes past one o'clock 150 (54 + 96) minutes elapsed.

Thus we have the equation:

60 + 60 + M + 60 - 6M = 150 **

180 - 5M = 150

5M = 30

M = 6

Since we have 2M past twelve, then the answer is: 12 minutes past midnight.

** see the diagram below how to get the equation.

Go Back