What is the smaller angle between the hour and minute hands at 2:26?

Important Notes

• Read the complete condition before calculating and write the required reference point, date, or clock time separately. This prevents a correct calculation from answering the reverse question.
• Keep units consistent. Reduce day differences modulo 7; treat 12 on a clock as zero for angle work; and convert gained or lost minutes into the same time unit as the stated interval.
• Check boundary cases explicitly: February, century years, noon, midnight, and an angle greater than 180 degrees often change the apparent answer. A century is a leap year only when divisible by 400.