A sailboat tacking against the wind moves as follows: 2.6 km at 45° east of north, 4.5 km at 59° west of north, 2 km at 45° east of north. What is the net displacement for the entire motion? Magnitude in km? Direction degrees east of north?

Answer 1

convert each section to its x- and y-components.
Add them up to get the final (x,y) displacement.
Then use the usual Pythagorean formula to get the distance, and
the direction, relative to due East is the angle z such that tan z = x/y