Question

You are standing on a sidewalk that runs east-west. Consider these instructions I might give you: (1) Walk 15 steps along the sidewalk and stop. (2) Walk 15 steps westward on the sidewalk and stop. Do my instructions unambiguously determine your final location in each case?

Answer 1

Answer:

No.

Explanation:

• Due to the sidewalk runs east-west, if you walk along the sidewalk, you could walking either eastward or westward.
• If you were walking eastward 15 steps, and then 15 steps westward, you would reach to the same start point, so your net displacement would be zero.
• But if you were walking westward 15 steps, and then you walk 15 steps more in the same direction, you would arrive at a point 30 steps west from your initial location.
• So, based on your initial direction, you could arrive to two different points after finishing your walk.