Johnson leaves home in his car and drives 15 km towards the north, then 10 km towards the west, then 5 km towards the south, then 8 km towards the east and finally turns right and drives another 10 km. How far and in which direction is he from his starting point now?

Introduction / Context:
This problem is a multi step direction sense question. Johnson drives in several straight legs, taking turns and changing direction. We must determine both his net distance from the starting point and the final direction of that displacement. Such questions check the ability to track movements carefully and to combine north south and east west components without confusion.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- Johnson starts from home, taken as the origin. - He drives 15 km towards the north. - Then he drives 10 km towards the west. - Then he turns towards the south and drives 5 km. - Next he turns towards the east and drives 8 km. - Finally, when facing east, he turns right, which means towards the south, and drives 10 km. - We assume flat terrain and standard compass directions.

Concept / Approach:
We represent Johnson's position on a coordinate plane. North is taken as positive y, south as negative y, east as positive x and west as negative x. Each movement updates either x or y, but not both, because all movements are along cardinal directions. After computing the final coordinates, we determine the straight line displacement from the origin. In this specific path, all vertical movements cancel out, leaving a purely westward horizontal displacement.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Start at (0, 0). 2. Move 15 km north: position becomes (0, 15). 3. Move 10 km west: position becomes (-10, 15). 4. Move 5 km south: position becomes (-10, 10). 5. Move 8 km east: position becomes (-2, 10). 6. Facing east, a right turn points south; move 10 km south: final position is (-2, 0). 7. The displacement from (0, 0) to (-2, 0) is 2 km towards the west.

Verification / Alternative check:
Instead of computing each coordinate, we can separate north south and east west movements. The total northward distance is 15 km and the total southward distance is 5 km + 10 km = 15 km, which cancel exactly. Horizontally, Johnson goes 10 km west and 8 km east, leaving 2 km net towards the west. Since all vertical components cancel, the final position must be 2 km directly west of the starting point. A simple sketch with arrows will visually confirm that his path ends on the same east west line as his home but shifted left by 2 km.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
- 5 km East assumes net movement towards the east instead of west and ignores the larger initial west movement. - 3 km North and 3 km South incorrectly assume an unbalanced north south component even though these cancel. - 7 km West overestimates the net horizontal difference by misadding or forgetting the 8 km east correction.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners often make sign errors when adding west and east distances or when handling several vertical legs. Another pitfall is misinterpreting the final right turn when already facing east. Carefully tracking facing direction at each step and separating horizontal and vertical totals usually prevents mistakes. It is helpful to write a small table listing cumulative x and y values after each move.

Final Answer:
Johnson is 2 km to the west of his starting point.