A fighter plane moving 200 m/s fires a projectile with speed 50 m/s in a forward direction. The projectile makes an angle of 30° with the direction of the plane's motion. What is the speed of the projectile with respect to a stationary observer on the ground?
A) 243 m/s
B) 293 m/s
C) 281 m/s
D) 250 m/s
E) 268 m/s

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The speed of the projectile with respect to the stationary observer on the ground is the vector sum of the speed of the projectile with respect to the fighter plane and the speed of the fighter plane with respect to the ground. The speed of the projectile with respect to the fighter plane is 50 m/s at an angle of 30° with the direction of the plane's motion. The speed of the fighter plane with respect to the ground is 200 m/s. The vector sum of these two velocities is 243 m/s at an angle of 15° with the direction of the plane's motion.

A Fighter Plane Moving 200 M/s Fires a Projectile with Speed