Question

The velocity of an aeroplane in still air is 510 km/h. The plane flies due west but experiences a crosswind of 120 km/h from the south. Calculate:
6.1 The resultant velocity of the aeroplane.

Answer 1

To calculate the resultant velocity of the aeroplane, we can use vector addition.

Let the velocity of the aeroplane in the west direction be Vw = 510 km/h and the velocity of the crosswind in the south direction be Vc = 120 km/h.

The resultant velocity R can be calculated using the Pythagorean theorem:

R^2 = (Vw)^2 + (Vc)^2
R^2 = (510)^2 + (120)^2
R^2 = 260100 + 14400
R^2 = 274500
R = √274500
R ≈ 523.82 km/h

Therefore, the resultant velocity of the aeroplane is approximately 523.82 km/h.