8 Directions & Turns

🎯 Learning Objective

Track which way a person faces after a series of left/right and degree turns.

💡 Concept

• 4 main directions: North (up), South (down), East (right), West (left)
• 4 corner directions: North-East, South-East, South-West, North-West
• Sun rises in the East and sets in the West — a fixed anchor
• Right turn = clockwise; Left turn = anticlockwise
• Facing North: right → East, left → West, back → South
• Bearings help: N=0°, E=90°, S=180°, W=270°; right adds 90°, left subtracts 90°

🧮 Key Formulas

N=0°, E=90°, S=180°, W=270°

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Right turn → +90°; Left turn → −90°

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Sunrise = East, Sunset = West

✏️ Easy Example

Q. Rahul is facing North. He turns right, then turns right again. Which direction is he facing now?

1. Facing North, first right turn → East
2. From East, second right turn → South

Answer: South

🇮🇳 Real-Life Example

Following Google Maps voice — 'turn right, then right again' — and ending up facing back the way you came is this exact turn-tracking.

📝 Exam-Level Example

Q. Priya is walking towards the South. She takes a left turn. In which direction is she walking now?

1. Facing South, a left turn is anticlockwise: 180° − 90° = 90°
2. 90° in bearings is East

Answer: East

📝 Exam-Level Example

Q. A man is facing East. He turns 90° clockwise, then 90° anticlockwise, and finally 45° clockwise. Which direction does he face now?

1. East (90°) + 90° clockwise = South (180°)
2. South − 90° anticlockwise = East (90°)
3. East + 45° clockwise = 135° = South-East

Answer: South-East

📝 Exam-Level Example

Q. A boy is facing North-West. He turns 90° clockwise and then 45° clockwise. Which direction is he facing?

1. North-West = 315°
2. 315° + 90° = 405° = 45° = North-East
3. 45° + 45° = 90° = East

Answer: East

🪄 Memory Trick

Stick your right arm out as 'clockwise' and left arm as 'anticlockwise' while facing the current direction — a physical check that never fails in the exam hall.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

• ❌ Swapping left and right (clockwise vs anticlockwise)
• ❌ Forgetting to subtract 360° when the bearing crosses a full circle
• ❌ Assuming left from South is West — from South, left is East

🏆 Exam Tips

• ✅ Redraw a small compass at the top of your rough sheet before the section
• ✅ Convert every turn to bearings if the corner directions confuse you

📌 Summary

• 8 directions: 4 main + 4 corners; sunrise East, sunset West
• Right = clockwise (+90°), Left = anticlockwise (−90°)
• Facing North: right→East, left→West, back→South
• Use bearings N=0, E=90, S=180, W=270 for degree turns