From the ground floor, a man went up six floors and came down six floors. On which floor is he now?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer:
The man is on the ground floor.
Explanation
The scenario begins with the man starting on the ground floor. From this starting position, he ascends six floors. This means his position changes from floor 0 (ground floor) to floor 6. The direction of movement is upward, which increases the floor number.
After reaching the sixth floor, he then descends six floors. This movement is in the opposite direction—downward—so the floor number is reduced by six. Moving from floor 6 down six floors leads directly back to floor 0.
The process involves a net vertical movement of zero floors. First, there is a movement of +6 floors (upward), followed by -6 floors (downward). Adding these together, the result is:
+6 + (–6) = 0
Therefore, the final position is:
Starting floor: 0
Final movement: 0
Ending floor: 0
This confirms that the man is now back on the ground floor.
It’s important to understand that the terms “up” and “down” refer to direction relative to the starting position. In building terms, going up increases the floor number, and going down decreases it. This logic applies regardless of how many floors are in the building, as long as the calculations remain within the valid range of floors.
The problem can also be thought of as a simple arithmetic operation: going up and then down the same number of floors effectively cancels out the movement. This is similar to taking a few steps forward and then taking the same number of steps backward — the ending point is the same as the starting point.
So, after going up six floors and then down six floors, the man ends up exactly where he began — on the ground floor.
