I have a problem with homework that does my head, and will be very helpful if someone can help me point in the right direction.
If I have two minutes on an analog clock, such as t1 (55 minutes) and t2 (7 minutes), I need to calculate the shortest number of steps between two points.
What I have come up with so far are two equations:
-t1 + t2 + 60 =
-55 + 7 + 60
= 12
t1 - t2 + 60 =
55 - 7 + 60
= 108
12 is lower then 108, therefore 12 steps is the shortest distance.
It seems to be okay if I compare two results and use the lowest. However, if I chose two more points, for example, let t1 = 39 and t2 = 34 and connect them to the equation:
-t1 + t2 + 60 = -39 + 34 + 60 = 55
t1 - t2 + 60 = 39 - 34 + 60 = 35
35 is lower then 55, therefore 35 steps is the shortest distance.
However, 35 is the wrong answer. 5 steps is the shortest distance (39 - 34 = 5).
My brain is a little fried, and I know that I am missing something simple. Can anyone help?
