Clockwise and anti-clockwise

In your book, Maths Mela (Chapter 3), we ask: in which direction do the hands of a clock move? They go from 12 to 1, to 2, to 3, and on round the clock. The direction in which the hands of a clock move is called CLOCKWISE. The opposite direction, from 12 to 11, to 10, to 9, is called anti-clockwise.

The book shows a ladybird, a snail, a bee and an ant. Each one makes a quarter turn once, and we have to say whether it turned clockwise or anti-clockwise. To do this, we must know which way the creature was facing at the start and which way it faces at the end.

Imagine a big clock face drawn on the ground, with a ladybird standing at its centre. The ladybird faces towards the 12. A quarter turn is a quarter of the way round the clock, which is 3 numbers. If it turns clockwise, it ends up facing towards the 3. If it turns anti-clockwise from the 12, it ends up facing towards the 9.

So to tell the direction of a quarter turn, see where the creature started and where it ended. From 12 to 3, or 3 to 6, or 6 to 9, or 9 to 12, is a quarter turn clockwise. From 12 to 9, or 9 to 6, or 6 to 3, or 3 to 12, is a quarter turn anti-clockwise.