Question

"An airplane is flying 600km/h [S 40 E] and encounters a wind from the

west at 80km/h. Find the resultant ground velocity of the airplane.
include a clear diagram in your solution."

Answer 1

To find the resultant ground velocity of the airplane, we need to consider the vector addition of the airplane's velocity and the wind velocity. The resultant ground velocity of the airplane is 0 km/h east and 80 km/h west.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the resultant ground velocity of the airplane, we need to consider the vector addition of the airplane's velocity and the wind velocity.

First, let's draw a diagram:

Now, we can resolve the airplane's velocity and the wind velocity into their respective components:

• The airplane's velocity has a southward component of 600 km/h and an eastward component of 0 km/h (since it flies in a straight line southward).
• The wind velocity has a westward component of 80 km/h and a southward component of 0 km/h (since it blows from the west).

Next, we can add the respective components to determine the resultant ground velocity:

• The southward components cancel each other out, resulting in a total southward component of 0 km/h.
• The eastward component of the airplane's velocity remains 0 km/h, while the westward component of the wind's velocity remains 80 km/h.

Therefore, the resultant ground velocity of the airplane is 0 km/h east and 80 km/h west.