8
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_ T
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H _ _ R S
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2 . 5
H _ _ R S :
T H _
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S T R _ C K ,
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6
+
7
+
8
=
2 1 Clue
49 MINUTES. IT IS VERY TEMPTING TO JUST SUBTRACT THE TIMES 9:09 FROM 10:10, ETC., AND GET 61 MINUTES, OR IF YOU'RE CARELESS GET 101 MINUTES. HOWEVER, THINK OF THE TIMES CLOSEST TO ONE ANOTHER, 12:12 AND 1:01, AND YOU WILL FIND THE DIFFERENCE IS 49 MINUTES 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 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) 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