Question

An airplane flying at 650 miles per hour has a bearing of 54. After flying for 1.5 hours, how far north and how far east will the plane have traveled from its point of departure?

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.