If you get lost in the forest, why can’t you make a 180 degree turn and walk back?
In: 1
You’re making the assumption that you:
1. Walked in a straight line throughout the forest.
2. Will walk back in a straight line.
To actually do that, you’d need visual landmarks that you can use to orient yourself or a tool like a compass, GPS, etc.
Forests, by their very nature tend to prevent you from finding easy to distinguish landmarks and also, trees, bushes, etc. don’t tend to grow in neatly organized rows.
This messes with your sense of orientation. That’s why you get lost in the first place. That essentially means you will not have been walking in a straight line and doing a 180 will not do much for you. You’ll also not be walking back in a straight line and also, not in the same directions you took before.
It can be hard to wrap your head around this until you’ve experienced it.
EDIT: See u/fried_eggs_and_ham ‘s excellent reply for why you won’t be walking in a straight line.
Latest Answers