Question

A hummingbird 3.4m above the ground flies 1.2 m along a straight line path. Upon spotting a flower below, the hummingbird drops directly downward 1.4m to hover in front of the flower. What is the hummingbirds total displacement

Answer 1

1.84m, 49.4⁰ South west

Step-by-step explanation:

Step 1: construct a right angled triangle from the birds displacement

⇒From the diagram uploaded; we calculate the resultant/total displacement (R) of the bird using Pythagoras theorem.

R² = 1.2² + 1.4²

R² = 3.4

R = √3.4

R = 1.84 m

Step 2: calculate the direction of the bird's displacement

From vector diagram head-to-tail rule, we determine the cardinal direction;

From the diagram;
`tan(\alpha) = (1.4)/(1.2)`

`tan(\alpha) = 1.1667`

`\alpha =tan^(-1) 1.1667`

`\alpha = 49.4^o`

Therefore the hummingbirds total displacement is 1.84m, 49.4⁰ South west