Puzzles – Direction

What is Direction?

Direction is part of the reasoning in which you identify the direction of a person or an object. Direction can be defined as the direction or path that something is going or is intended to move in, as well as the axis that something is facing or pointing along. The four major directions are north, east, west, and south. There are also sub-main directions that are northeast, southwest, southeast, and northwest. The image below will help you understand this better. 

8 Directions

Points to be remembered before solving Questions on Direction:

1.  The angle between North and East, East and South, South, and West, and West and North is 90°.
2. The angle between North and northeast, northeast and east, east and southeast, southeast and south, south and southwest, southwest and west, west and northwest, and northwest and north is 45°.
3. The clockwise direction is north-east-south-west.
4. The anticlockwise direction is north-west-southeast.
5. Right means 90° clockwise, and left means 90° anticlockwise.
6.  x° Right= x° Clockwise direction, x° Left= x° Anticlockwise direction.

Note: Some important tip regarding direction

• Right of North = east
• Right of east = south
• Right of south = west
• Right of west = north
• Left of north = west
• Less of east = north
• Left of south = east
• Left of west = south.
• Right of northeast = southeast
• Right of southeast = southwest
• Right of southwest = northwest
• Right of northwest = northeast
• Left of northeast = northwest
• Left of southeast = northeast
• Left of southwest = southeast
• Left of northwest = southwest

Steps to be followed to solve Questions on Direction:

• Always use the 2-D plane to draw a diagram.
• First, make a diagram using the given data.
• Always mark the starting and ending points.
• You should always be careful about taking turns, whether it is right or left.
• Mark the distance along with the path.
• And then you can answer your question easily.

Exams Where Directions Puzzles appeared?

• SSC CHSL
• SSC CGL
• IBPS PO
• IBPS SO
• Banking exams
• TCSA
• State/Central university exams.
• CAT
• CMAT
• SNAP

Practice examples in Direction Puzzles:

Q1. A person is moving north, and then he turns to his left and walks 10 meters, and then again, he turns right and walks 20 meters, and again, he turns right and walks 15 meters. What is the final direction in which he is moving?

Ans. A person is moving towards the north, and then he turns to his left and walks 10 meters, which means now he is moving towards the west and has covered 10 meters of distance (left of north = west), and then he turns to the right and walks 20 meters, which means now he is moving towards the north and has covered 20 meters of distance (right of west = north), and then he turns to the right and walks 15 meters, which means now he is moving towards the east and has covered 20 meters of distance (right of North = east) That means the final direction in which the person is moving is east. For a better understanding, you can see the below image:

Q2. From her home, Ruchi went 6.6 km to the south. Then she turned east and covered 6km. Then she turned to the north and covered 3.5km. Finally tuning to the west, she covered 5km. Then find the direction in which she is moving.

Ans. You can observe the Ruchi movement in the given below figure: 

We can observe from the figure that Ruchi is moving in the west direction.

Q3. A boy is facing south and then he turns 60° in the clockwise direction and then turns to 105° in the anticlockwise direction. In which direction now he is facing?

Ans. 

The boy faces in the direction of AB. On moving 60° in the clockwise direction, he faces in the direction AC. On further moving 105° in the anticlockwise direction, he faces in the direction AD. Hence the boy is finally facing in a southeast direction.

Q4. If the South becomes northwest, the East becomes southwest, and so on, then what will the North become?

Ans. Directions are changing by 135° in a clockwise direction. So the answer will be southeast as 90°+ 45° = 135° then, 90° of the north (Right of the north is east) is east and then 45° of the east (45° Right of the east is southeast) is southeast.