Topic awaiting preservation: Synchro?

Hi there's this riddle in a popular radio station and no one seems to get it right...

My wrist watch is always on time, my wall clock loses two minutes everyday, my alarm clock gains two minutes everyday.

Today (march3rd) I synchronized both my wall clock and my alarm clock with my wrist watch.

Question: When is the next time (day and time) will they all tell the same time?

Think you can Synchro this?

Ps. I got 360 days 7 hrs or something close. WRONG

Well... my brain says says exactly 360 days.
They have to lose (or gain) twelve hours to show the same time again.
That's 720 minutes, and that diveded by two gives us 360 'loss/gain' events. We have one loss/gain event a day,
so I'd assume they need 360 days.

Yup, same here. Apparently, we're overlooking something.

Without the exact time you synchronized your clocks on march 3rd, we'll never figuer out the next date. (which eventueally involves a shift between summer and winter time, and therefore has to be adjusted by a day)

The key lies in March 3rd. Thats the hint they gave. Further more they just need the exact day that all the clocks will show the same time.

(Edited by kaboi on 04-02-2005 18:03)

February 26, or 27 if it's a leap year. 365 days (average) in a year (leap years excluded) and 360 loss/gain events (one per day) until each clock has gone ahead by 12 hours or back by 12 hours. This gives us a difference of 5 days. Now, taking 5 off March 3rd will give us February 26 becuase there's only 28 days in February. However if it's a leap year there'll be 29 days in February, bringing the 5 day subtraction up to February 27


Justice 4 Pat Richard

is it a trick?... is the answer, "next time I sync up my clocks"?

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They have to lose (or gain) twelve hours to show the same time again.

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Are you sure? Isn't it possible that they might show the same time sometime before that happens?


 

I think Slimer is right-

Don't you need six hour gains/losses?

1:00am - 1:00pm?

Too bad all the people who know how to run the world are busy running taxicabs or cutting hair. - George Burns
ICQ: 67751342

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Question: When is the next time (day and time) will they all tell the same time?

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All, includes the wrist watch too. With only 6 hours of shift, the wall clock and alarm clock will show the same time, but not the wrist watch.

Just a thought... are we sure none of the clocks are displaying time in a 24hour-format?

Or if all of them is on 12hour-format, but one is a digital one displaying am/pm information?

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Petskull said:

I think Slimer is right-

Don't you need six hour gains/losses?

1:00am - 1:00pm?

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1:00am - 1:00pm is twelve hours, not six


Justice 4 Pat Richard

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1:00am - 1:00pm is twelve hours, not six

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Yep but one clock gained 6 hours, and the other lost 6 hours.

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poi said:

All, includes the wrist watch too. With only 6 hours of shift, the wall clock and alarm clock will show the same time, but not the wrist watch.

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So doesn't that mean they'll never sync up again? Because two can be synchronized at a time, but never three?

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AlterEgo said:

So doesn't that mean they'll never sync up again? Because two can be synchronized at a time, but never three?

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No, becuase after six hours more the wrist watch will be showing the same time as both of the clocks.


Justice 4 Pat Richard

For arguments sake say that we start at midnight and that I'm wrong in my theory of 24-hour format.

After a total gain/loss of six hours (30th of August) the wall clock and the alarm clock will be in sync at 6, but the wristwatch will still show the correct time (ie midnight).
So a 6-hour shift will not do the trick so Skaarjjs initial calculation is reasonable.

However I think the correct answer should be the 21st of February 2007 for a full 24hour cycle.

Let's hope none of the clocks show date as well

I concur with Skaarjj and Nimraw
A quick lil excel sheet
here
demonstrates the Feb. 21st just under 2 years barring a leap year in the year following the synchronization

A few more formulas added in could check for any other times in the middle that "may" sych up but it doesnt appear to be probable.

shekk

Yap Skaarjj, Nimraw and the descriptive Shekky nailed it. The answer was Feb 21st 2007.

Too bad some other guy got the $200 bucks before i could call in.

Thanx guys.

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Too bad some other guy got the $200 bucks before i could call in.

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you would have shared... right?

/Dan

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