Calculating Displacement & Airspeed with Wind Speed

In summary, the problem involves a car traveling at different speeds and directions for different periods of time, and finding the displacement of the car and the airspeed and direction of a plane that will arrive at the same time as the car. The displacement of the car can be found using vector analysis, while the airspeed and direction of the plane can be determined by considering the wind's velocity and using vector addition and trigonometric rules.
  • #1
barthayn
87
0
wind speed?

Homework Statement


A car leaves point A and drives at 80.0km/h [E] for 1.50h. It then heads north at 60.0 km/h for 1.00 h and finally [30o W of N] at 100.0 km/h for 0.50 h, arriving at point B.
a) Determine the displacement of point B from point A.
b) A plane flies directly from point A to point B, leaving 2.00h after the car has departed from point A. It arrives at point point at the B at the same time the car arrives. There is a wind blowing at 60.0 km/h due south for the entire trip. What is the airplane's airspeed?
c) What direction must the plane head in order to arrive at point B?
d) How long would the plane's trip be if there was no wind?


Homework Equations


Other then SOH CAH TOA, I have no idea


The Attempt at a Solution


Used vectors to solve for part a. No idea for the other parts because my teacher hasn't taught the class with wind speed, and this is due for Tuesday :eek:
 
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  • #2


How long is the plane flying for? You drew a vector diagram for the first part, so in which direction is the plane flying and how far did it fly? From this you can work out b).

After you have worked that out, you have found the resultant velocity of the plane. This is infact the sum of the winds velocity and the planes velocity in the direction it is actually heading in (against the wind) . This is similar to having to swim against the current to get across a river - if you just tried to swim straight, you would drift down the river. So draw up a triangle that relates the 3 vectors and use the sine and cosine rules to analyse the triangle, which will give you c).

The analysis from c) should tell you the speed the plane is actually capable of, without the wind, which should yield d).
 

Related to Calculating Displacement & Airspeed with Wind Speed

What is displacement and how is it calculated?

Displacement is the change in position of an object. In order to calculate displacement, you need to know the initial position and the final position of the object. The displacement can be calculated by subtracting the initial position from the final position.

How do you calculate airspeed with wind speed?

To calculate airspeed with wind speed, you need to first determine the ground speed, which is the speed of the aircraft relative to the ground. This can be calculated by adding the airspeed and the wind speed vectorially. Then, the airspeed can be calculated by subtracting the wind speed from the ground speed.

What is the difference between displacement and distance?

Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to the change in position of an object, while distance is a scalar quantity that refers to the total length traveled by an object. Displacement takes into account the direction of the movement, while distance does not.

How does wind affect displacement and airspeed calculations?

Wind can affect displacement and airspeed calculations because it is a vector quantity that has both magnitude and direction. It can change the direction and speed of an object's movement, which in turn affects the displacement and airspeed calculations.

Can displacement and airspeed be negative values?

Yes, displacement and airspeed can be negative values. A negative displacement means that the object has moved in the opposite direction from the initial position. A negative airspeed indicates that the object is moving in the opposite direction from the wind speed.

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