8
_ ' C L _ C K .
I F
T H _
C L _ C K
J _ S T
F _ N _ S H _ D
S T R _ K _ N G ,
_ T
H _ S
S T R _ C K
T H R _ _
C _ N S _ C _ T _ V _
H _ _ R S
_ N
T H _
L _ S T
2 . 5
H _ _ R S :
T H _
_ N _
_ T
J _ S T
S T R _ C K ,
T H _
_ N _
_ T
S T R _ C K
_ N
H _ _ R
_ G _ ,
_ N D
T H _
_ N _
_ T
S T R _ C K
T W _
H _ _ R S
_ G _ .
T H _
S _ M
_ S
6
+
7
+
8
=
2 1 Clue
8 O'CLOCK. IF THE CLOCK JUST FINISHED STRIKING, IT HAS STRUCK THREE CONSECUTIVE HOURS IN THE LAST 2.5 HOURS: THE ONE IT JUST STRUCK, THE ONE IT STRUCK AN HOUR AGO, AND THE ONE IT STRUCK TWO HOURS AGO. THE SUM IS 6 + 7 + 8 = 21 IN 3 1/2 HOURS THE ALARM CLOCK HAS BECOME 14 MINUTES SLOW. AT NOON THE ALARM CLOCK WILL FALL BEHIND APPROXIMENTLY AN ADDITIONAL MINUTE. ITS HANDS WILL SHOW NOON IN 15 MINUTES YOU WILL HAVE TO LIE AWAKE FOR 1 HOUR TO BE SURE OF THE TIME. THE STRIKE YOU HEARD WAS EITHER 1:00 AM OR SOME HALF HOUR. IF, AFTER ANOTHER HALF HOUR YOU HEAR TWO OR MORE STRIKES, YOU KNOW WHAT HOUR IT IS, BUT IF YOU AGAIN HEAR ONE STRIKE, YOU MAY HAVE HEARD SUCCESSIVELY 12:30 AM AND 1:00 AM OR 1:00 AM AND 1:30 AM. AFTER ANOTHER HALF HOUR YOU EITHER HEAR 1 STRIKE (1:30 AM) OR TWO STRIKES (2:00 AM) THE TIME IS 6AM. FOR EVERY 1 HOUR THAT HAS PASSED, THE CLOCK WILL ONLY SHOW 36 MINUTES AS IT WILL LOSE 24 MINUTES. WHEN THE CLOCK WAS SHOWING 3AM, 180 CLOCK MINUTES HAVE PASSED SINCE MIDNIGHT. THIS MEANS THAT 300 (180/36 X 24 MINUTES + 180 MINUTES) REAL MINUTES HAVE PASSED WHEN THE CLOCK WAS SHOWING 3AM. SINCE THE CLOCK STOPPED 1 HOUR AGO, ANOTHER 60 MINUTES HAVE PASSED. THEREFORE A TOTAL OF 360 MINUTES HAVE PASSED. SINCE 360 MINUTES = 6 HOURS, THE TIME IS 6 HOURS AFTER MIDNIGHT