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Sandy Wood
Brain Game: The Day the Brains Came
by Sandy Wood - May 20, 2008 - 6:30 AM

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I’m old enough to remember a time before digital clocks, but I imagine before I’m dead that the art of reading an old-fashioned clock face won’t even be taught in school. (At least I hope I live that long.) But while we’re discussing digital clock readouts, here’s today’s Brain Game:

Over a 24-hour day, how many times would a digital clock with an hour/minute readout show a series of consecutive [ascending] digits (like 1:23)?

Click here for the answer.

Comments (18)
  1. what about 9:10,10:11, and 11:12?

  2. Where does the question stipulate using AM and PM instead of 24 hour time? That would add 23:45 to those mentioned, bringing the total to six.

    Laura is correct about 9:10, which would bring the total to seven. The question mentions consecutive digits, not numbers, which precludes 10:11 and 11:12.

    Assuming 24 hour time, the clock would show consecutive digits a total of seven times: 1:23, 2:34, 3:45, 4:56, 9:10, 12:34 and 23:45.

  3. Don’t think about it like a straight in poker, Laura.

  4. I was wondering what happened to 3:21, 4:32, 5:43, and 6:54.

  5. And if it’s a 24-hour clock, it would be those just once as well as 23:45 and 0:12. (And possibly 21:09 if we use MOD …)

  6. I agree with Brian – the answer should be 18, because the questions doesn’t specify whether the digits are ascending or descending.

  7. Agreed. I took into account the numbers descending, as well.

    Laura, you bring up a valid argument, too.

  8. looks like the answer is 28
    twice each
    1:23, 2:34, 3:45, 4:56, 6:54
    5:43, 3:21, 2:10, 9:10, 10:11
    11:12, 12:11, 11:10, 12:34

  9. 9:10, 10:11, 11:12 and 12:13 don’t work because 10, 11, 12 and 13 aren’t digits — they’re numbers.

    And I thought of adding “ascending” to the question, but thought that it would just be over-specific. But I’ve added it now.

    As far as a 24-hour clock… what can I say? You folks can seem to find loopholes in everything!   :)

  10. Like most people above me, I got more than 10. Consecutive doesn’t mean only going up, it just has to have a logical procession of one I believe. So 6:54 should also work, as well as 5:43 and so on. Anyway, I liked this quiz though!

  11. The cool thing about these morning Brain Games is they encourage the creativity seen in these comments. It really helps jumpstart my day.

  12. 10 isn’t a digit. The game explicitly specified digits, consecutive ones, and a series when I read it.

    For a 24h clock: six or seven depending on whether your civilian clock displays midnight with 0:00, 24:00, or 00:00. The potential seven are 0:12, 1:23, 2:34, 3:45, 4:56, 12:34, and 23:45.

    Clocks using ‘military’ 24h notation display consecutive digits only three times, at 0123, 1234, and 2345.

    Not going near times of day specified in ½-past-3-style notation…

  13. Yeah, I took 24 hour day for 24 hour clock as well and only came up with 3 as andrewc said.

    On a side not, does anyone else hate the way they do the clock on 24 (tv show)? They put stupid things like 0923 – pm!! Arghhhhh

  14. I had to use all my toes…but my guess is 10.

  15. 11:23, 10:12 as well, i’m just sayin’.

  16. Here is the thing. There is military time which does 2200, 2300, then 0000 for midnight. For countries like germany they do 2200, 2300, 2400. Then you have just standard time which is 11am, 12pm, 1pm. This question has a flaw

  17. I actually count this daily for no reason — 12

  18. I only came up with three:

    01:23
    12:34
    23:45

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