January 2026 Problem of the Month

A clock that showed the correct time at 12 midnight on January 1st gained four minutes each hour thereafter.

What time was it actually when the clock showed 8:00 AM later that morning?

Solution to the Problem:

Here is the solution:

The time would be 7:30 AM.

Working in minutes, elapsed real time is 60/64 (or 15/16) of the elapsed time on the faulty clock.
In 8 hours on the faulty clock, an actual amount of 15/16 x 8 hours = 7.5 hours elapses.
So, the actual time is 7:30 AM.