Imagine you are in a helicopter above Los Angeles without a chart and want to fly to Reno, Nevada. In what direction would you fly? Of course, it is a trick question. The coast of California slopes in a north-westerly direction and although Reno is inland and Los Angeles on the sea, Reno lies slightly to the west of LA. There are many similar paradoxes: Edinburgh is located west of Liverpool, Rome east of Venice. Our mistaken answer illustrates the fallibility of human judgment.

Or does it? Get real. Anyone in a helicopter above Los Angeles without a chart and wanting to fly to Reno, Nevada, is a fool and should lose his pilot’s licence. The usual way to go from Los Angeles to Reno is to take Highway 5 north to Sacramento and then turn east, as you would expect, on Highway 80.