- #1
opticaltempest
- 135
- 0
I have to solve the following problem:
"A rescue plane is flying at a constant elevation of 1200m with a speed of 430 km/h toward a point directly over a person in the water. At what angle of sight [tex]\theta[/tex] should the pilot release a rescue capsule if it is land near the person in the water?"
The answer we are given is 57 degrees.
Here is the setup I think we have:
(we are not given a diagram)
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/5049/setupsq1.jpg Wouldn't the angle needed depend on the "horizontal distance" as labeled in the graph? In other words, if the angle is a set 57 degrees then the horizontal distance must be some fixed value.
We are not given the "horizontal distance" in the problem.
I imagine I could figure out that distance since I know the answer of 57 degrees, but if I wasn't given the answer there is no way to have solved this problem without knowing the horizontal distance - correct?
"A rescue plane is flying at a constant elevation of 1200m with a speed of 430 km/h toward a point directly over a person in the water. At what angle of sight [tex]\theta[/tex] should the pilot release a rescue capsule if it is land near the person in the water?"
The answer we are given is 57 degrees.
Here is the setup I think we have:
(we are not given a diagram)
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/5049/setupsq1.jpg Wouldn't the angle needed depend on the "horizontal distance" as labeled in the graph? In other words, if the angle is a set 57 degrees then the horizontal distance must be some fixed value.
We are not given the "horizontal distance" in the problem.
I imagine I could figure out that distance since I know the answer of 57 degrees, but if I wasn't given the answer there is no way to have solved this problem without knowing the horizontal distance - correct?
Last edited by a moderator: