| medium | discrete |
There is a crazy clock in Alice's Dream, it has two hands initially pointing at 12. The minute hand moves clockwise, making 5 rounds (with varying speeds) and comes back to 12. In the same time, the hour hand goes anti-clock wise, finishing 4 rounds and returns to 12. How many times did the two cross each other ? (Cross means meet & pass through, hence ignore start & end)
8
In the reference frame of minute hand, hour hand moves exactly (5+4) = 9 rounds anti-clockwise with varying speeds (by adding total angular distance covered). 'Cross' occurs just in between two consecutive rounds. Thus hour hand crosses minute hand exactly 9-1=8 times. Same answer in ref. plane of hour-hand.