Vijey first walks 10 metres towards the west from his starting point, then turns left and walks another 10 metres, again turns left and walks 10 metres along the new direction, and finally makes a 45 degree turn to his right and continues walking straight. Based on this sequence of movements and turns, in which compass direction is he walking at the end of the journey?

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: South East

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This problem tests direction sense with both right and left turns and finally a turn by 45 degrees. Rather than asking for where Vijey ends up, the question asks for the direction in which he is walking after the last turn. Such questions are common in verbal reasoning exams and they check whether you can precisely track orientation changes step by step without getting confused by multiple turns.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Vijey initially walks 10 metres towards the west from his starting point.
  • From there, he turns left and walks 10 metres.
  • He again turns left and walks another 10 metres.
  • Finally, he turns 45 degrees towards his right and walks straight.
  • All directions are with respect to the standard compass directions: North, South, East, and West.
  • The ground is assumed flat and straight lines are followed in each segment.


Concept / Approach:
The key idea is to track orientation, not only position. When a person is facing a certain cardinal direction, left and right turns give predictable new directions: from West, left means South and right means North; from South, left means East and right means West; from East, left means North and right means South; from North, left means West and right means East. A turn of 45 degrees from a main direction leads to one of the intercardinal directions like North East, South East, South West, or North West.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Initially, Vijey walks west, so at that moment he is facing West. Step 2: From facing West, he turns left. A left turn from West means he now faces South. He then walks 10 metres in the South direction. Step 3: From facing South, he again turns left. A left turn from South leads him to face East. He now walks 10 metres towards the East. Step 4: At this point, just before the last turn, he is facing East. Step 5: From facing East, he takes a 45 degree turn towards his right. A right turn from East goes towards South. A full right angle from East is South; half of that, that is 45 degrees, corresponds to the diagonal direction exactly between East and South, which is South East. Step 6: Therefore, after the final 45 degree right turn, he is walking in the South East direction.


Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by drawing compass directions on paper. Mark East, then draw a right angle towards South and split that quarter circle into two equal parts. The direction halfway between East and South is South East. Since he was facing East and turned 45 degrees to the right, he must now be walking along that South East diagonal, confirming the reasoning above.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
South is wrong because that would require a full 90 degree right turn from East, not 45 degrees. West is incorrect because the last orientation before the 45 degree turn is East, and a small right turn from East can never give West. South West is also wrong, because South West is between South and West, whereas his final direction is between East and South, which defines South East.


Common Pitfalls:
Common mistakes include misinterpreting left and right after several turns, forgetting the current facing direction, or confusing 45 degree turns with full 90 degree turns. Some students also forget that South East lies between South and East, not between South and West. Maintaining a clear mental or sketched diagram of each orientation step helps avoid these errors.


Final Answer:
After all the given movements and turns, Vijey is finally walking towards the South East direction.

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