Challenge

[kengr]

(Inspired by a post in a friend's tumblr)

Original question was to try to "objectively" define left and right (ie you can't just point)

Left and right are both directions. The difference between them is that when facing due North, your former will be to the West, and your latter will fall on the East. Remember which half of your body was placed in each quadrant, and you will be able to know the difference between your left and right, this works even after you discontinue facing North.

Now try to define the relationship between North, South, East and west without using right, left, or equivalent terms such as clockwise & counter-clockwise.

Have fun...

Comments

[seawasp]

Consider North as a vector determined by some objective standard -- pointing to the designated pole star, or to a designated magnetic pole of the planet you are on, recognizing that we are currently defining a 2-D system useful on the scale of human or similar-sized beings on planetary surfaces. South is the inverse of that vector on the 2-D surface in question. East and West are then definable on an axis at right angles to the North-South. Which is which can be defined by defining a rotation direction (which IIRC will turn out to be counter-clockwise) based on electromagnetic field vectors with the assumed current proceeding vertically "up" through the origin of your 2-D coordinate system. If I am correct about the field vectors, then West will be the direction first encountered proceeding along this rotation direction on the way to South, and East will then be encountered before returning to North.

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