How far does the tip of a 6-inch minute hand on a clock travel in 50 minutes?

Answer 1

Hi... 50 minutes represents 50/60 of the total clock's sweep. That equates to 5/6 of the 'pie', represented by the clock's face. A six-inch minute hand would equate to a six-inch radius. The circumference of a circle is computed as 2*pi*radius. Scaling the circumference to a 50-minute sweep yields an adjustment to the above equation to: 2*pi*r*5/6. Hence, the distance covered is 31.4 inches

Answer 2

The circumference of the circle swept out by the tip of the minute hand is 2*π*6.

50 minutes accounts for 50/60 (i.e. 5/6) of the circumference.

Therefore the distance traveled is (5/6)*2π*6 = 10π.