Question

A river flows due east with a speed of 3.00 m/s relative to earth. The river is 80.0 m wide. A woman starts at the southern bank and steers a motorboat across the river; her velocity relative to the water is 5.00 m/s due north. How far east of her starting point will she reach the opposite bank?

Answer 1

48 m

Step-by-step explanation:

As she travels at the rate of 5m/s due north, the amount of time it would take for her to cross the 80m wide river would be

t = 80 / 5 = 16 seconds

This is also the time it takes for the river to push her to the east side at the rate of 3m/s. So after 16 seconds, she would reach the opposite point at a horizontal distance from her starting of

s = 16*3 = 48 m