Question

Other things being equal, which of the following flights would lead to the greatest difficulty with jet lag? A. northward B. southward C. eastward D. westward

Short answer

A. Northward B. Southward C. Eastward D. Westward Answer: C. Eastward

Step-by-step solution

Understand jet lag and its main factors

Jet lag is a sleep disorder that occurs when our internal biological clock (circadian rhythms) is disrupted by crossing different time zones. The primary factor affecting jet lag is the number of time zones crossed during a flight. Additionally, traveling eastward makes it harder for our body to adapt compared to westward travel due to the biological clock's difficulty in advancing our sleep-wake cycle.

Analyze the given flight directions and their impact on jet lag

We have four options: northward, southward, eastward and westward. Northward and southward flights do not involve crossing time zones, so they will have the least impact on jet lag. However, eastward and westward flights will involve crossing time zones, with the eastward direction causing the greatest difficulty due to the reasons explained in Step 1.

Identify the flight direction causing the greatest difficulty with jet lag

Since the eastward direction involves more difficulty in adapting our sleep-wake cycle and causes more disruption of our internal biological clock, we can conclude that: C. Eastward flight would lead to the greatest difficulty with jet lag