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Solving Algebra Word Problems with Clock Diagram and Algebra

BEGINNING HOOK

Students are given a worksheet with the problem “What is the angle between the long hand and

the short hand when the time is 3:25?”. There are series of questions below to guide the students

solve the problem. Students will also be given a paper plate clock.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. What is the angle between the hands of a clock at 3 o’ clock?

2. If the hour hand is located at 12, then how many hours does it take for the hour hand to

go around the clock and come back to 12?

3. If the minute hand is located at 12, then how many minutes does it take to go around the

clock and come back to 12?

4. Next, we need to convert the time into angles. How many degrees does the minute hand

move in a minute?

5. How many degrees does the hour hand move in a minute?

6. Write numerical expressions with variables for hour hand and minute hand using angles

REINFORCE UNDERSTANDING

The minute hand rotates at a constant rate and it completes one full rotation 360° in 60

minutes.

At a certain time, M past the hour, the minute hand makes an angle A clockwise from 12 o’clock

position.
!
The measure of angle A forms a fraction of the complete circle
"# %&'()*+

Angle A is in proportion to the time past the hour.

𝐴 360°
=
𝑀 60 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠
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When we solve for the measure of angle A in degrees, we have A= 6M, where M is the time past

the hour in minutes.

From the equation above, we can know that when it is 1 minute past the hour (if M=1), the angle

between the hour hand and minute hand is 6°. This means that the minute hand rotates 6° in one

minute. 12° in 2 minutes, 180 ° in 2 minutes and so on until it reaches 360° in 60 minutes.

The hour hand also rotates at a constant rate. It starts the hour at an hour mark and after

60 minutes, its position is at the next hour mark. The angle measure between these two hour

mark is 30°. Thus, the hour hand rotates 30° in 60 minutes.

At a certain time, M past the hour, the hour hand makes an angle x with its starting position.
!
The measure of angle x forms a fraction of the total angle that the hour hand makes in
"#%&'()*+

60 minutes

Angle x is in proportion to the time past the hour

𝑥 30°
=
𝑀 60𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠

When we solve for x in degrees, we have

1
𝑥 = 𝑀 = 0.5𝑀
2

From the equation above, we can know that when is 1 minute past the hour (if M=1), the angle

hour hand makes with its starting position is 0.5°. This means that the hour hand rotates 0.5° in 1

minute, 1° in 2 minutes, 1.5° in 3 minutes and so on until it reaches the next hour mark in 60

minutes.

However, we need to take caution in that the angle x is only the measurement of hour

hand in between two adjacent hour marks. To find the angle between the hour mark 12 and the
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hour hand, we have to add the number of 30° angles from 12 o’ clock position clockwise to the

hour hand’s starting position of the other hour mark.

Therefore, the angle of the hour hand clockwise from the 12 o’ clock position is

(30°×the number of 30° angles) + the measure of angle x

Which can be rewritten as

𝐵 = 30𝐻 + 0.5𝑀

where B is the angle of the hour hand clockwise from the 12 o’ clock position and H is the hour

Finally, the angle between the minute hand and hour hand can be found by finding the

difference of angle A and angle B.

The angle between the long hand and the short hand is 𝐵 − 𝐴 𝑜𝑟 𝐴 − 𝐵 depending on which

angle is greater.

When we replace A and B with the equations we found above, the angle between the minute

hand and hour hand is

30H + 0.5M − 6M

𝑜𝑟

6𝑀 − 30𝐻 + 0.5𝑀

Now that we know the concept of time and angles that clock hands make, we can solve

the problem easily.

At 3:25, the minute hand makes an angle clockwise from 12 o’ clock position.

From the equations above, we know that the minute hand moves 6° in 1 minute.

So, 25 minutes past the hour, the minute hand moves 25𝑚𝑖𝑛×6° = 150°.

The hour hand moves 0.5° in a minute based on our equation

1
𝑥 = 𝑀 = 0.5𝑀
2
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So, 25 minutes past the hour, the hour hand moves 0.5×25 = 12.5

The angle that hour hand makes with its starting position at the hour mark 3 is 12.5°.

Therefore, we need to add 12.5° to the number of 30° angle from 12 o’ clock position clockwise

to the hour hand’s starting position.

Since the hour is 3, we multiply 3 to the number of 30° angle and add 12.5°

3×30° + 12.5°

The angle of the hour hand clockwise from the 12 o’ clock position is 102.5°

The angle between the minute hand and hour hand can be found by finding the difference of the

minute hand angle and the hour hand angle.

Since the minute hand angle (150°) is greater than the hour hand angle (102.5°), the difference

can be found by subtracting the angle hand angle from the minute hand angle.

150° − 102.5° = 47.5°

Therefore, the angle between the minute hand and hour hand is 47.5°

CONCLUSION/MORAL OF THE STORY

The problem asks students to find the angle between the hands of an analog clock.

The question makes the students to relate two different measurements, angle and time. The angle

is measured in degrees from the mark of number on the clock and the time is measured by 12-

hour clock. In order to solve the problem, students have to find the rate of change of the angle in

degrees per minute.

The hour hand turns 30° in 1 hour and 0.5° in 1 minute.

The minute hand turns 360° in 60 minutes and 6° in 1 minute.

MATHEMATICAL GOALS

Students learn how to use properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions.

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Students learn how to solve real-life and mathematical problems using numerical and algebraic

expressions and equations.

MATERIALS USED

In order to help students understand the relationship between the time and the angles that hands

of the clocks make, students use the paper plate clock with moving hands that are easily

accessible for students. This paper plate clock will not only facilitate the comprehension, but also

promote interest for students to play around with the actual clock crafts and hands of the clock to

figure out the angle.

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Minyoung Shim

Professor Belding

Fundamentals of Mathematics II

2 May 2018

Solving for Unknown Angles using Algebraic Equations

To learn how to solve for unknown angles using algebraic equations, students should

have prerequisite knowledge on concept of angles. Students should already have a knowledge on

how to create numerical expression and equation with variables.

The conceptual understanding behind the process of applying real life matters to

algebraic equations begins with the instructor asking the students “What is the angle between the

long hand and the short hand when the time is 3:35?”. Students make sense of the problem by

playing around with the paper plate clock and trying to measure and estimate the angle between

the hands of the clock. Then, students receive series of instructions that help them guide find the

answer through small steps.

In this activity, students learn how to generate algebraic expressions and solve real-life

mathematical problems using numerical and algebraic expressions through finding the

relationship between the time and the angles that each clock hands make with variables. After

completing the lesson, students can approach the problem by finding the expressions and

equations of the function. As students have already figured out the constant rate of change in

short hand angle and long hand angle in relation to time, students can apply the situation with

independent variable and dependent variable of function.

Among the series of the Common Core State Standards, some are especially relevant to

educators teaching algebraic expression. One of the standards states to “apply properties of
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operations as strategies to add, subtract, factor, and expand linear expressions with rational

coefficients” (7.EE.A.1). This relates to the understanding of use properties of operations to

generate equivalent expressions. Another states to “solve real-life and mathematical problems

using numerical and algebraic expressions and equations” (7.EE.B.3). Just as our lesson plan

includes real life matters of finding the angle between the hands of the clock, students are able to

apply real-life mathematical problems into algebraic expressions. A third standard states that

students should “use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem,

and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the

quantities” (7.EE.B.4). This standard refers to developing and communicating mathematical

ideas and reading and writing expressions and variables by using numerical and algebraic

expressions and equations of the real-life problems.

Among the Common Core Standards for Mathematical practice, “model with

mathematics” (MP4) is especially relevant to the lesson plan activity. Students engage in the

problem when they view objects in the real world as approximated by ideal geometric shapes and

when they make two- dimensional drawings to represent an aspect of a real-world situation and

use geometric aspects of the drawing to analyze the situation. Also, “use appropriate tools

strategically” (MP5) is relevant in that students engage in this activity by using tools, the paper

plate clock. When students try to understand variables, expressions, and equations in terms of a

context of a problem, students are engaging in the “reason abstractly and quantitively” (MP2).

Finally, “model with mathematics” (MP4) is pertinent to the activity when students define

variables and formulate expressions and equations for quantities of interest and when they

define, represent, and reason about functions.