How Can You Find the Treasure While Avoiding the Dragon?

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves navigating from a starting point, the old oak tree, to a buried treasure while avoiding an obstacle, a dragon. The directions provided include specific distances and angles, and the challenge lies in determining the correct path and distance to the treasure after deviating from the original route.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss vector subtraction as a potential method for solving the problem. There are attempts to break down the movements into components using trigonometric functions. Questions arise regarding the correct interpretation of angles and axes in the context of the problem.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided insights into the angle measurement and its implications for calculations. There is an ongoing exploration of the correct approach to resolve the discrepancies in the calculations presented. Multiple interpretations of the angle and its application are being considered.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of accurately defining the angle in relation to the coordinate axes, as well as the need to clarify the initial setup of the problem. There is an acknowledgment of previous unsuccessful attempts and a request for guidance without revealing specific solutions.

Lamnia
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The treasure map in the figure gives the following directions to the buried treasure: "Start at the old oak tree, walk due north for 530 paces, then due east for 130 paces. Dig." But when you arrive, you find an angry dragon just north of the tree. To avoid the dragon, you set off along the yellow brick road at an angle 60 degrees east of north. After walking 370 paces you see an opening through the woods. Which direction should you go to reach the treasure?
How far should you go to reach the treasure?

I've made several unsuccessful attempts at this problem.

I believe that this should be a vector subtraction problem.

A = 130i + 530j
B = 370cos60i + 370sin60j

A-B = -55i - (530-185*sqrt3)j

inverse tangent /theta = (-55/-(530-185*sqrt3))
distance = sqrt(55^2 + (530-185*sqrt3)^2)

However, these calculations don't lead to the correct answers.

I'd appreciate any nudges in the right direction so that I might reattempt this problem in the proper fashion.
 
Last edited:
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Lamnia said:
The treasure map in the figure gives the following directions to the buried treasure: "Start at the old oak tree, walk due north for 530 paces, then due east for 130 paces. Dig." But when you arrive, you find an angry dragon just north of the tree. To avoid the dragon, you set off along the yellow brick road at an angle east of north. After walking 370 paces you see an opening through the woods. Which direction should you go to reach the treasure?
How far should you go to reach the treasure?

I've made several unsuccessful attempts at this problem.

I believe that this should be a vector subtraction problem.

A = 130i + 530j
B = 370cos60i + 370sin60j

A-B = -55i - (530-185*sqrt3)j

inverse tangent /theta = (-55/-(530-185*sqrt3))
distance = sqrt(55^2 + (530-185*sqrt3)^2)

However, these calculations don't lead to the correct answers.

I'd appreciate any nudges in the right direction so that I might reattempt this problem in the proper fashion.

What is the angle east of north?
 
I've just edited to include that necessary information. Sorry for the initial exclusion!
 
Your 60 degrees is measured from WHAT axis?
if it was zero degrees instead would that be 370 i ?
 
According to the diagram accompanying the problem the angle is 60 degrees to the right of the y-axis. So... maybe I should be using 30 degrees as the angle to calculate the i and j components of the displacement along the yellow brick road and subtract that from the displacement of the treasure itself?
 
yeah.

don't just assume that every formula [ x= r cos(theta)] will work with the data given,
or that every angle in the problem has to be the "right theta" .
 

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