javascript

findAngleBetweenClockHands()

Parameters: hour: Number, minute: Number

Hour (0-12) & Minute (0-59) for the time on a 12-hour format

Returns: Returns the smallest angle in degrees between clock hands

A handy function in Javascript that calculates the smaller angle between the hour and minute hands on a clock for a given time.

variables
arithmetic operations
conditionals
Math object
functions
Medium dificulty

Calculating the Angle Between Clock Hands using JavaScript

Hello there, programmer! We are fortunate to have you here. Our goal today is to shed some light on a particular function in programming, 'findAngleBetweenClockHands'. This function is intriguing! It calculates the angle between clock hands. This function can have numerous applications, and the most common one is in time-related computations. In the following steps, we'll dissect how this function can be programmed in JavaScript. Tune in, keep your code editors ready, we are about to begin. Let's crack the code together!

Step 1: Understand the Problem

The first step in solving this problem is to understand and identify exactly what we're being asked to do. We're tasked with writing a function using the JavaScript programming language to find the angle between the two hands of a clock given a specific time.

function find_angle_between_clock_hands(hour, minutes){
  // initialize our variables for hours and minutes
  var hours = 0;
  var minutes = 0;
}

Step 2: Handle Hours and Minutes Separately

Next, we deal with the hour and minute hands separately. We know that each hour on a clock represents 30 degrees (360 degrees divided by 12 hours).

function find_angle_between_clock_hands(hour, minutes){
  // hour hand moves 0.5 degrees per minute
  var hour_angle = 0.5 * (hour * 60 + minutes);
  // minute hand moves 6 degrees per minute
  var minute_angle = 6 * minutes;
}

Step 3: Find the Difference

Now that we have positions for both the hour and minute hands, we need to find the difference between the two to calculate the angle.

function find_angle_between_clock_hands(hour, minutes){
  var hour_angle = 0.5 * (hour * 60 + minutes);
  var minute_angle = 6 * minutes;
  var angle = Math.abs(hour_angle - minute_angle);
}

Step 4: Adjust for Angles Greater than 180 Degrees

If the angle is larger than 180 degrees it means there is a shorter angle on the other side of the clock, so we subtract it from 360 degrees.

function find_angle_between_clock_hands(hour, minutes){
  var hour_angle = 0.5 * (hour * 60 + minutes);
  var minute_angle = 6 * minutes;
  var angle = Math.abs(hour_angle - minute_angle);
  angle = Math.min(angle, 360 - angle);
}

Step 5: Conclusion

Finally, we return the calculated angle as the result of our function.

function find_angle_between_clock_hands(hour, minutes){
  var hours = 0; 
  var minutes = 0; 
  var hour_angle = 0.5 * (hours * 60 + minutes); 
  var minute_angle = 6 * minutes; 
  var angle = Math.abs(hour_angle - minute_angle); 
  angle = Math.min(angle, 360 - angle); 
  return angle;
}

And that's it! With this function, we can now easily calculate the angle between the two hands of a clock given a specific time.

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Angle between clock hands

Calculates the shortest angle between hour and minute hand of a clock

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Mathematical principle

The function determines the positions of both clock hands, calculates the difference and then normalizes it. This mathematical formula is used: `angle = Math.abs(hourAngle - minuteAngle); angle = Math.min(360 - angle, angle);` With these operations, the function calculates the minimum angle between the two hands.

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