Assume that the Earth is a spherical ball of radius x km with a smooth surface so that one can travel along any direction. If you have travelled from point P on the Earth's surface along the East direction a distance of πx km, which direction do you have

examrobotsa's picture

Submitted by examrobotsa on

Q: 103 (CAPF/2023)
Assume that the Earth is a spherical ball of radius x km with a smooth surface so that one can travel along any direction. If you have travelled from point P on the Earth's surface along the East direction a distance of πx km, which direction do you have to travel to return to P so that the distance required to travel is minimum?
(a) East only
(b) West only
(c) East or West but not any other direction
(d) Any fixed direction

question_subject: 

Geography

question_exam: 

CAPF

Travelling πx km from point P along an east direction on a spherical Earth means reaching the opposite point. Thus, to return to point P by the shortest route, you must travel back the same distance westward, which is equivalent to half the circumference of the Earth.