Question

If a plane leaves New York at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, and arrives at Los Angeles at 8:30 p.m. Pacific time (3 hours earlier than Eastern) covering a distance of 2800 miles SW, what is the average velocity of the plane?

Answer 1

The average velocity of the plane is 657.8 miles per hour.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the average velocity, we need to calculate the total displacement and the total time taken.

The plane travels 2800 miles southwest from New York to Los Angeles. Since southwest is 45 degrees below the west direction, we can use trigonometry to find the horizontal displacement: 2800 miles * cos(45 degrees) = 1973.5 miles.

The time taken is 3 hours since Los Angeles is 3 hours behind New York.

Therefore, the average velocity of the plane is 1973.5 miles / 3 hours = 657.8 miles per hour.