If you're standing at the South Pole, which direction are you looking at?

Question

Okay, so sue me about being stupid but its confusing me.

My mum says that the answer is North because that's the only direction you can go at the South Pole.

My dad says it depends where you're facing aka if you're facing east, you're looking east. Even on the South Pole there's South, West etc.

So who's right?

And the title is the exact question, so don't ask me to give the full question or anything.

Please help. It hurts my brain to think about this.

Mr Zwink: "on the exact southpole, the only direction you can go is North.

if you turn around you turn either west or east. there is no south on the southpole."

Okay.. so if you can turn and go west or east, North isn't the only direction you can go is it?

Sorry.. just a bit confused by your answer.

Answer 1

Both your mum and your dad are right. When you are standing dead center at the South Pole, any direction you are LOOKING at is North only. However, you can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise as you are standing at the South Pole. Rotating clockwise would be "rotating eastward", and rotating counterclockwise would be "rotating westward". But you'd still only be looking North. You cannot "look eastward or look westward" until you step off the South Pole.

Answer 2

On the exact south pole you will always face north no matter which way you turn. Think about it like this. If you standing on the exact south pole and you walk in a straight line, you will always end up at the north pole.

If you move only a few centimeters off the exact south pole then you can turn to any of the other three direction. Looking back at where you stood at the south pole would be south. West would be to your right and east to your left and north to your back.

Answer 3

Pole Direction

Answer 4

Okay, ill try on this one: you would be looking north, this is because no matter what way you look, you cant go any more south, and even if you did go east or west, you still would be moving north because the earth is round, do you get it?

Answer 5

North!

Answer 6

If you are stood at the exact South Pole then the only way is north.

Answer 7

on the exact southpole, the only direction you can go is North.

if you turn around you turn either west or east. there is no south on the southpole.

there is a west antartica though, that is the part of antartica on the western hemisphere.

Answer 8

You can only look north from the south pole.

Answer 9

everyone else explained it so the answer is North

Answer 10

I agree with your dad