Praxis Dashboard

The measure of the smaller angle formed by the hour hand and the minute hand of a clock at 2:00 is 60 degrees.

At 2:00, the hour hand is positioned at 60 degrees from the 12 o'clock mark, while the minute hand points directly at 12, which is 0 degrees. The angle between these two positions is calculated as 60 degrees.

A) 40 degrees

This option is incorrect because the angle between the hour hand at 2:00 and the minute hand at 12:00 is not 40 degrees. The hour hand is at 60 degrees, and thus the angle cannot be less than this.

B) 45 degrees

This option is also incorrect as it does not accurately represent the angle formed at 2:00. The hour hand's position of 60 degrees compared to the minute hand's position results in an angle greater than 45 degrees.

C) 50 degrees

This option is incorrect because the calculated angle at 2:00 is greater than 50 degrees. The hour hand at 60 degrees means that the angle cannot be less than this value.

D) 60 degrees

This is the correct choice because at 2:00, the hour hand is positioned at 60 degrees from the 12 o'clock mark, while the minute hand remains at 0 degrees, creating a direct angle of 60 degrees between the two hands.

E) 90 degrees

This option is incorrect as the angle formed at 2:00 is much less than 90 degrees. The hour hand at 60 degrees does not create this larger angle.

Conclusion

The correct answer is 60 degrees, as it accurately reflects the angle between the hour hand and the minute hand at 2:00. All other options fail to represent the correct measurement, either being too small or too large in comparison to the actual angle formed.