Direction Sense

• Understand the four main directions (North, South, East, West) and four intermediate directions (NE, NW, SE, SW).
• Trace a person's movement through multiple turns to find their final position and direction.
• Calculate the shortest distance between the starting and ending point using the Pythagoras idea (for right-angle turns).

1. Standard orientation: North is up, South is down, East is right, West is left (when facing north on a map).
2. A right turn while facing North means now facing East; a left turn while facing North means now facing West.
3. When a person moves in a rectangular path (e.g., right angles only), the shortest distance from start to end can be found using the Pythagoras rule on the net horizontal and vertical displacement.

A person walks 3 km North, then 4 km East. How far is he from the starting point?

Displacement: 3 km North + 4 km East form a right angle.
Distance = sqrt(3² + 4²) = sqrt(9+16) = sqrt(25) = 5 km

• Confusing left and right turns relative to the current facing direction (not the original direction).
• Adding distances directly instead of using Pythagoras when the path has a right-angle turn.
• Forgetting that "final direction faced" and "direction from start" are two different things.

• If you face North and turn right twice, which direction do you face?
• A person walks 6 km East then 8 km North. What is the straight-line distance from the start?

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Direction Sense.