What is the angle between the minute hand and hour hand when the clock shows 4:25 hours?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 17.5°
At 4:25 the minute hand is at 25 × 6° = 150° from 12, and the hour hand at 4 × 30° + 25 × 0.5° = 132.5°. The angle between them is 17.5°.
- Minute hand moves 6° per minute: 25 × 6 = 150° from the 12.
- Hour hand moves 30° per hour plus 0.5° per minute: 4 × 30 + 25 × 0.5 = 132.5°.
- Angle = 150 − 132.5 = 17.5°.
- Check with the formula |30H − 5.5M| = |120 − 137.5| = 17.5°.
Remember · Angle between the hands = |30H − 5.5M|; if the result is more than 180°, subtract it from 360°.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·