A clock runs counterclockwise. If it shows 12:00 at noon, what will be the actual time when the clock shows 2:40 the same day?

A standard clock moves clockwise. If a clock moves counterclockwise, the time elapsed is subtracted from the start time instead of added. From 12:00 to 2:40 is 2 hours and 40 minutes; subtracting this from 12:00 noon results in 9:20 am, but since the question asks for the time on the same day, we must interpret the counterclockwise movement as moving backward through the 12-hour cycle, leading to 9:20 pm.