Solving the Six Friends Circle Seating Puzzle

This question asks us to determine the seating arrangement of six friends - David, Bhanu, Minto, Krita, John, and Nisan - sitting in a circle, and then find the person sitting second to the left of Bhanu. The key information is that they are sitting with their backs towards the centre, which means they are facing outwards.

Understanding the Seating Setup

When people sit in a circle facing outwards, their left and right sides are opposite to what they would be if they were facing the centre. Moving clockwise around the circle is moving to the right for someone facing outwards, and moving anti-clockwise is moving to the left.

Let's break down the given clues step by step to build the arrangement:

1. Clue 1: David and Minto are sitting to the immediate left and right of Bhanu, respectively.
   • Since they face outwards, immediate left of Bhanu is the person immediately anti-clockwise from Bhanu. This is David.
   • Immediate right of Bhanu is the person immediately clockwise from Bhanu. This is Minto.
   • So, we have a segment: ... David - Bhanu - Minto ... (arranged anti-clockwise to clockwise).
2. Clue 2: Nisan is sitting third to the right of Bhanu.
   • Starting from Bhanu, we move clockwise (to the right when facing outwards).
   • 1st right of Bhanu is Minto.
   • 2nd right of Bhanu is the person after Minto.
   • 3rd right of Bhanu is Nisan.

   Let's visualize the circle with 6 positions. If we place Bhanu at position 1, moving clockwise:

   • Position 1: Bhanu
   • Position 2 (1st right): Minto
   • Position 3 (2nd right): ?
   • Position 4 (3rd right): Nisan
   • Position 5 (4th right): ?
   • Position 6 (5th right, or 1st left): David

   So far, we have Bhanu, Minto, Nisan, and David placed.

3. Clue 3: John is not sitting to the immediate left of David.
   • David is at Position 6 in our sequence. Immediate left of David (facing outwards) is the position immediately anti-clockwise from David.
   • Looking at our circular arrangement, the position immediately anti-clockwise from Position 6 (David) is Position 5.
   • Therefore, John is NOT at Position 5.
4. Identifying Remaining Positions and People:
   • The unassigned positions are 3 and 5.
   • The unassigned people are John and Krita.
   • From Clue 3, we know John is not at Position 5. This means John must be at Position 3.
   • Since John is at Position 3, the only remaining person, Krita, must be at the only remaining position, Position 5.

The Final Seating Arrangement

Based on the clues, the seating arrangement in clockwise order is:

1. Bhanu
2. Minto
3. John
4. Nisan
5. Krita
6. David

Finding Who is Second to the Left of Bhanu

We need to find the person sitting second to the left of Bhanu. 'Left' when facing outwards means moving anti-clockwise.

• Starting from Bhanu (Position 1).
• The first person to the left (1st anti-clockwise) is David (Position 6).
• The second person to the left (2nd anti-clockwise) is Krita (Position 5).

Therefore, Krita is sitting second to the left of Bhanu in the circle arrangement.

Revision Table: Key Seating Arrangement Clues

Additional Information: Solving Circle Seating Puzzles

Solving seating arrangement puzzles involves careful step-by-step deduction. Here are some tips:

• Always note the direction people are facing (centre or outwards) as it determines left/right.
• Draw a diagram (a circle with marked positions) to help visualize the arrangement.
• Start with the most constrained clues or clues involving relative positions of multiple people.
• Place individuals one by one based on the clues.
• Use elimination for remaining people and positions.
• Double-check the final arrangement against all given clues.
• Pay close attention to terms like "immediate left/right", "second to the left/right", "between", etc.

For a circle with $N$ people, the person $K$ positions to the right is equivalent to $N-K$ positions to the left (for $K < N$), and vice versa. For example, in a 6-person circle, 3rd right is the same as 3rd left.