Ravi walks 15 m east, then 12 m north, then 15 m west, and finally 5 m south. In which direction is Ravi now with respect to his…

Question

Ravi walks 15 m east, then 12 m north, then 15 m west, and finally 5 m south. In which direction is Ravi now with respect to his starting point?

1. A. North (Correct answer)
2. B. North-West
3. C. South
4. D. North-East

Correct Answer

Option A — North

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is North.

Key Points

• Resolve the walk into east–west and north–south components.
• Moves: 15 m East, 12 m North, 15 m West, 5 m South.
• East–West: 15 East − 15 West = 0 (they cancel).
• North–South: 12 North − 5 South = 7 m North.
• So Ravi ends up 7 m due North of his start — the direction is North.
• add displacements along each axis with sign; when the east and west legs are equal (both 15 m) they cancel, leaving movement only along the north–south axis.
• Since North (12) exceeds South (5), the net is North.

Exam Tip

• the question asks only for the direction, so once the east–west axis cancels you can answer 'North' immediately without computing the exact 7 m distance.

Additional Information

• Treat direction problems as vector addition on two independent axes: East is +x, West is −x, North is +y, South is −y.
• Here x: +15 − 15 = 0; y: +12 − 5 = +7. A zero on one axis means the answer is a cardinal direction, not a diagonal one.
• Had the east and west legs been unequal, the result would have been a compound direction such as North-East or North-West — that is exactly how the same question is varied.
• If a distance had been asked, the displacement would be √(0² + 7²) = 7 m; only when both axes are non-zero do you need Pythagoras.