Question

Diane rows a boat at 8.0 m/s directly across a river that flows at 6.0 m/s.

a.what is the resultant speed of the boat?

Answer 1

The resultant velocity is the vector sum of the two velocity vectors.

Let the boat move east (x-axis) so that its velocity is

`(8.0 \, m/s)\hat{i}`
Let the river flow north (y-axis), so that its velocity is

`(6.0 \, m/s)\ht{j}`

The magnitude of the resultant velocity is

`v= \sqrt{8^(2)+6^(2)} =10 \, m/s`

Answer: 10 m/s