Question:medium

A person walks 12 km towards North, then turns right and walks 5 km. He again turns right and walks 12 km. How far is he from the starting point?

Show Hint

Whenever you see a directional sequence that goes North $\rightarrow$ Right (East) $\rightarrow$ Right (South) where the first and third legs are exactly equal in length, the movements cancel each other out completely along the vertical axis. The net distance from start is simply equal to the middle horizontal step value—which is 5 km!
Updated On: May 30, 2026
  • 5 km
  • 7 km
  • 12 km
  • 17 km
Show Solution

The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Direction sense problems involve tracking spatial displacement on a coordinate plane.
Standard directions are: North (Up), South (Down), East (Right), and West (Left).
A "right turn" while facing North leads to East. A "right turn" while facing East leads to South.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
We should map the movements sequentially to visualize the geometric path created.
Displacement is the straight-line distance from the start point to the end point.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Let's track the journey step-by-step from the origin (Point O):
1. Segment 1: Starting at point O, the person walks 12 km North to reach Point A. The distance OA is 12 km.
2. Segment 2: At Point A, the person turns right (East) and walks 5 km to reach Point B. The distance AB is 5 km.
3. Segment 3: At Point B, the person turns right again. Since they were facing East, a right turn means they are now heading South. They walk 12 km to reach Point C. The distance BC is 12 km.
Visualization:
The path forms three sides of a rectangle OABC.
The segment OA is 12 km North.
The segment BC is 12 km South.
Since North and South are exact opposite directions and the lengths are identical (12 km), the person has returned to the same horizontal latitude as the starting point.
In a rectangle, opposite sides are equal. Therefore, the distance from Point O to Point C (OC) must be equal to the distance from Point A to Point B (AB).
\[ OC = AB = 5 \text{ km} \]
The final position (C) is exactly 5 km East of the starting position (O).
Step 4: Final Answer:
He is 5 km far from the starting point.
Was this answer helpful?
0


Questions Asked in CUET (UG) exam