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JClock VIII

2016-07-30, post № 135

programming, Pygame, Python, #clock, #complex number, #hour, #minute, #plane, #time

Interpreting the hour hand on a clock as a two-dimensional object on a plane, the hand’s tip can be seen as a complex number.
This clock converts the hour hand’s position into a complex number, sets the number’s length to the current minutes and displays it in the form a+b\cdot i.
The angle 𝜑 is determined by the hours passed (\frac{2\cdot\pi\cdot\text{hour}}{12}=\frac{\pi\cdot\text{hour}}{6}) but has to be slightly modified because a complex number starts at the horizontal axis and turns anti-clockwise whilst an hour hand starts at the vertical axis and turns — as the name implies — clockwise. Thus, \varphi=(2\cdot\pi-\frac{\pi\cdot\text{hour}}{6})+\frac{\pi}{2}=(\frac{15-\text{hour}}{6})\cdot\pi.

The complex number’s length is simply determined by the minutes passed. Because the length must not be equal to 𝟢, I simply add 𝟣: |z|=k=\text{minute}+1.
Lastly, to convert a complex number of the form k\cdot e^{\varphi\cdot i} into the form a+b\cdot i, I use the formula k\cdot(\cos{\varphi}+\sin{\varphi}\cdot i)=a+b\cdot i.

jclock-viii_17h04m.png
Source code: jclock-viii.py
Jonathan Frech's blog; built 2024/03/18 18:45:40 CET