A plane is moving due north,directly towards its destination.Its airspeed is 220 mph.A constant breeze is blowing from west to east at 50 mph.How long will it take for the plane to travel 220 miles north?
A)one hour
B)more than one hour
C)less than one hour
D)more information is needed
E)none of the above

Question

A plane is moving due north,directly towards its destination.Its airspeed is 220 mph.A constant breeze is blowing from west to east at 50 mph.How long will it take for the plane to travel 220 miles north?​
A)one hour
B)more than one hour
C)less than one hour
D)more information is needed
E)​none of the above

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The plane's airspeed is given as 220 mph, which means it is not affected by the wind because the speed of the wind is perpendicular to the plane's direction. However, the wind affects the ground speed of the plane. The wind is blowing from west to east at 50 mph, which means it will decrease the ground speed of the plane. Therefore, the actual speed of the plane (ground speed) is less than the airspeed. We can calculate the ground speed of the plane by finding the vector difference between the airspeed of the plane (220 mph due north) and the velocity of the wind (50 mph east). Using Pythagoras' theorem, we have:

ground speed = sqrt(220^2 + 50^2) ≈ 226.27 mph

Now, we can calculate the time taken by the plane to travel 220 miles north using the formula:

time = distance/speed

time = 220/226.27 ≈ 0.97 hours, which is more than one hour. Therefore, the correct answer is B.

A Plane Is Moving Due North,directly Towards Its Destination