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    Why is the hour hand the small hand on a clock and second hand the large one? It seem counter intuitive to me.

    Question #114556. Asked by george48. (May 07 10 11:21 AM)


    Arpeggionist

    		It's not really. When one considers that the minute and second hands have 60 different settings on a clock while the hour hand has 12, it's easier for the eye to distinguish between two points 6 degrees apart on the outer edges of the circle than it is when those points are closer to the center (for obvious reasons). So because the hourhand can move more slowly to cover the same distance in twelve times the duration and different hours can be recognized closer to the center of the circle, its hand doesn't need to be as big as the minute hand to be understood be the viewer.

    May 07 10, 11:45 AM

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