Weather balloon in wind, find displacement

AI Thread Summary
To find the final displacement of a weather balloon that travels 6 km upward while being blown 10 km north and 8 km east, one should treat the movements as vectors. First, calculate the horizontal displacement using Pythagorean theorem for the north and east components, resulting in a horizontal distance of approximately 12.81 km. Then, incorporate the vertical movement to find the overall displacement in three dimensions using Pythagorean theorem again. A 3D drawing can aid in visualizing the problem and understanding the angles involved. This method will yield the balloon's final displacement from its initial position.
steckona
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1. A weather balloon travels upward for 6 km while the wind blows it 10 km north and 8 km east. Approximately what is its final displacement from its intial position?


I am not sure how to look at this. I know they are vectors which makes this a bit complicated and I know I have to use pythagorian's theorm but I just don't get how.

Please help :confused:
 
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Having reviewed the site rules, I have decided that my original post gave away too much.

First, take a bird's eye view, forget about the vertical movement, use pythagoras' theorm to find the movement over the ground (find the angle if you need it, too). Then, look at it from the side, consider the movement in the horizontal plane with the vertical movement, pythagoras it up again. The vertical angle can be found at this point if you need it.

A 3d drawing will be helpful.
 
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