Definition
Direction
Direction tells which way an object faces, points, turns, or moves.
What it means
A place and a way are different pieces of information. A dot can show where you are; an arrow shows which way you face or travel. From the very same dot, you could point north, move east, or turn clockwise. The task decides whether direction is named by words, a turn, an angle, or a vector.
Remember it
Position is the dot; direction is the arrow.
Example
Start at the grid point (3, 2), facing east. Move four squares east to (7, 2), then make a quarter-turn clockwise. Your position is now (7, 2), and your direction is south.
Watch for
The coordinate (3, 2) gives a position, not a direction by itself. A direction needs information about facing, pointing, turning, or moving.
Common mix-up
East names a facing or travel direction. Clockwise names the direction of a turn; it does not by itself name the final facing direction.
Exact meaning
Direction describes an orientation or a way of moving from one position toward another; it may be expressed with spatial words, compass points, turns, angles, or vectors.