Calculating Velocity of River and Boat

[tregeat]

Homework Statement

A river flows toward 90 degrees. A river boat pilot heads the boat at 297 degrees and is able to go straight across the river at 6 m/s.

Homework Equations

What is the velocity of the current?
What is the velocity of the boat?

The Attempt at a Solution

I drew a free bodied diagram but i don't know what to put where.

 

[Oerg]

now the first question you have to ask yourself is the angle between the the direction in which the boat is steered and the direction of the river flow.

once you have done this, the velocities can be easily found by sine rule in a non-right angled triangle.

 

[tregeat]

k thanks.

 

[tregeat]

wait so i found the angle between the current and the boat but what are the other two angles?

 

[learningphysics]

wait so i found the angle between the current and the boat but what are the other two angles?

It's actually a right triangle... the hypoteneuse is the velocity of the boat... the two legs of the right triangle are the river velocity and the net velocity of 6m/s to the right.

 

[tregeat]

thanks

 

[Oerg]

It's actually a right triangle... the hypoteneuse is the velocity of the boat... the two legs of the right triangle are the river velocity and the net velocity of 6m/s to the right.

oh yeh its a right angled tiangle, how could i have missed that haha i guess i was feeling too sleepy