MATH STINGER #50 
by Dr. Joel C. Fowler 
Assistant Professor of Mathematics 

An old puzzle that has been around for a long time in 
various forms is the following. Suppose that a person on the surface 
of the earth walks 1 mile south, then 1 mile east, then 1 mile north and is back 
where they started from. Where was the starting point? There is one standard answer to 
this puzzle usually given. Less often mentioned is the fact that there are an infinite number of starting 
points possible. Find the exact location of them all. For the purposes of your solution you may assume that 
the earth is a perfect sphere with a radius of 4000 miles.

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