Question

Banjul is approximately 2000 km from Accra. The bearing of Banjul from Accra is 295⁰.
How far north of Accra is Banjul?
How far east of Banjul is Accra?

Answer 1

To determine how far north of Accra Banjul is, we need to use the cosine of the bearing angle 295⁰:

cos(295⁰) = adjacent/hypotenuse
cos(295⁰) = (east distance)/2000
east distance = 2000 * cos(295⁰)
east distance = 2000 * (-cos(65⁰)) (sin(180-x)=-sin(x))
east distance ≈ 2000 * (-0.4226)
east distance ≈ -845.2 km

So, Banjul is approximately 845.2 km south of Accra.

To determine how far east of Banjul Accra is, we need to use the sine of the bearing angle 295⁰:

sin(295⁰) = opposite/hypotenuse
sin(295⁰) = (north distance)/2000
north distance = 2000 * sin(295⁰)
north distance = 2000 * sin(65⁰)
north distance ≈ 2000 * 0.9063
north distance ≈ 1812.6 km

So, Accra is approximately 1812.6 km east of Banjul.