Question

A pilot is flying from DFW to NYC. The air traffic controller directs him to fly 69° Northeast at 243 m/s. What is the y component of his velocity?

Answer 1

`v_(y) = 227` m/s

Step-by-step explanation:

Assumptions: 0° is true North, and 90° is east (along the x-axis).

To solve this problem we must use the expression:

`v_(y) = v_(0)sin(\theta)`

Where
`v_(y)` is the velocity in the y-direction (East),
`v_(0)` is the total velocity in the direction which the aircraft is travelling, and
`\theta` is the direction the aircraft is travelling (angle from the y-axis).

Using the equation above, we obtain the y-component of velocity

`v_(y) = (243)sin(69) = 226.86...` m/s which is rounded to 227 m/s (due to the number of significant figures in the question).