A clock seen through a mirror shows quarter past three. What is the correct time shown by the clock?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → 8:45
A mirror reverses left and right, so each hand appears as far on the other side of the 12 as it really is on its own side. The real time and the mirror time therefore add up to 12:00, written as 11:60 when minutes have to be taken away.
Mirror time: quarter past three \(=\) 3:15
Real time \(=\) 11:60 \(-\) 3:15 \(=\) 8:45
In the picture the hour hand is blue and the minute hand amber on both clocks: each hand jumps to the other side of the 12–6 line.
