Direction of resultant displacement?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the resultant displacement of a person's walk, with a magnitude of approximately 595.77 meters. The user is struggling to determine the correct angle of displacement measured from due west, initially using the arctan function but obtaining an incorrect result. They attempt to adjust their angle by considering negative values and adding 360 degrees, questioning their approach. Clarification is sought on the proper method to find the angle of resultant displacement. The conversation highlights the complexities of vector calculations in physics.
gredrick0896
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Homework Statement


http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll124…

Homework Equations


At the end of the walk, what is the magnitude of the person’s resultant displacement measured from the starting point?

I found this answer to be 595.7697375 m after finding the vertical velocity to be -567.3170013 and the horizontal velocity to be -181.9148158.

The Attempt at a Solution


What is the direction (measured from due west, with counterclockwise positive) of the person’s resultant displacement?
For some reason, I just can not find the angle. I tried to do arctan(vertical velocity/horizontal velocity) which came out to be 72.22112883, but that answer won't work. I then tried -72.22112883 but that won't work either? What am I doing wrong? Please help!
 
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Would it be 360-72.22112883=287.7788712?
 
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