okay, we are doing some problems for physics..and im kind of lost...I need help because I have never taken a trig class in my life and this physics book I have doesnt help that much..heres the question.
1. A man walks 5 mi east, then 6 mi North and then 3 mi further East. Make a scale diagram of the man's path on graph paper.
I did this and got 14 mi.
part b) Calculate the straight-line distance from where the man started to where the man ends up. (Is this the same, grater than or less than your answer to part a.
I got 10 mi as my answer which is less than.
Now heres my trouble.
c) At his final position the man turns and points toward his starting point. What direction is he pointing? (Be clear and exact)
Okay I know to use inverse tan to get this and its 53.1 degrees west of south but im a bit confused, wouldnt this be the degrees of the angle, and it would actually be facing towards the opposite side and not towards the point that he started?
2007-01-20 10:12:27 · 5 answers · asked by hmmm 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
assuming I am correct, is there a way to get the exact degrees he would be facing if he faced towards where he started. As it seems to me he would be facing close to where he started but actually he would be facing towards the opposite side, im not sure.
2007-01-20 10:13:35 · update #1
Your analysis looks fine. I think the problem is that you need to convert 53.1° West of South into a bearing on a compass. Bearing on a compass is measured clockwise from north.
0° is North
90° is East
180° is South
270° is West
360° (aka 0°) is North again.
So your bearing is 180° plus 53.1° = 233.1°.
2007-01-20 10:27:25 · answer #1 · answered by Northstar 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are doing just fine; 14 and 10 are correct. The 10 figure can be obtained from Pythagoras, noting that sides of the equivalent triangle are 6 and 8. Your arctangent value is also correct; the direction is southwesterly, and in this case 53 degrees to the west of south, or a compass course of 180 + 53 = 233 degrees. Since the travel was to the northeast, the return course must be toward the southwest.
2007-01-20 10:21:56 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're right, that would be the approximate number degrees of the angle he'd be making with his arm on the left side of a line pointing due south (west of south, as you say). If you look at your diagram, you'd see that he'd be facing south and making this angle with his right hand. You could come up with all different answers depending on where he's facing and where you measure "zero degrees" from. That's why the question asks you to be "clear and exact". Looks to me like your answer gives an accurate answer as to the direction, though.
2007-01-20 10:27:43 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're almost there! Right about the 53.1° west of south, but on a compass, degrees are measured clockwise from north, meaning south is 180°. Therefore the 53.1 should be added to 180 to give the exact compass heading he is now facing.
Or, you could just say "sort of southwest".......! (This satisfies 'clear'; I'm not sure about 'exact'........:(
2007-01-20 10:25:37 · answer #4 · answered by Steve 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
ugh my bad, used 9 instead of 8
should b sqt 100
sin (8/10)south of due west is answer then
2007-01-20 10:22:55 · answer #5 · answered by magln j 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋