Question

An airplane flying at 650 miles per hour has a bearing of 50°. After flying for 1.5 hours, how far north and how far east will the plane have traveled from its point of departure? (Round your answers to the nearest whole number.)

Answer 1

• 627 miles north
• 747 miles east

Explanation:

Bearing angles are measured east of north, so in (N, E) coordinates, the final position of the plane is ...

(1.5 h)(650 mi/h)(cos(50°), sin(50°)) = (975cos(50°), 975sin(50°)) mi

= (626.72, 746.89) mi

The plane will be 627 miles north and 747 miles east of its point of departure.