Vectors: plane speed 300mph relative to air. Wind blowing due north 30mph. What dir?

fusionxx23

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Feb 5, 2018
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Vector Problem
Speed of an airplane is 300 Mph relative to the air.
Wind is blowing due north 30Mph
In what direction should the plane head in order to arrive at a point due West of its location?
 
Have you seen videos of planes landing in windy conditions? Did you notice they don't point straight ahead?
 
Vector Problem
Speed of an airplane is 300 Mph relative to the air.
Wind is blowing due north 30Mph
In what direction should the plane head in order to arrive at a point due West of its location?

Sketch the vector representing the wind velocity, and another (with the same start) for the desired direction of travel. The plane's velocity vector, plus the wind vector, will result in the actual velocity. Sketch this vector sum, and think about how you can find the direction of the planes' vector.

There are several ways you could carry out the work (components, triangle trigonometry, ...), so we'll want to see at least an example of what method you have been taught; it will be best if you can try to actually apply that method to this problem, so we can see both the method and where you are getting stuck.
 
Vector Problem
Speed of an airplane is 300 Mph relative to the air.
Is this really the speed of the plane "relative to the air", which is moving north at thirty miles an hour? Or is this the speed of the plane "relative to still air" (that is, the speed showing on the plane's speedometer)?

Thank you! ;)
 
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