Direction Sense
Direction sense questions describe someone moving in a sequence of directions and ask for either their final facing direction or their straight-line distance from the start. Distance questions typically reduce to the Pythagorean theorem once movements in the same direction are combined.
Common patterns
- Two perpendicular movements combined into a straight-line distance
- Movements in opposite directions that partly cancel out before measuring distance
- A sequence of left/right or clockwise/anticlockwise turns
Worked example
Question: A man walks 6 km East, then 8 km North. How far is he from the start?
Answer: 10 km
The direct distance is the hypotenuse of a 6-8 right triangle: √(6²+8²)=10.
How to approach Direction Sense
Identify the information given, test the simplest consistent rule, and verify that your rule explains every relevant part before answering.