Calculate Total Displacement of an Airplane

What are the steps to calculate the total displacement of an airplane's journey?

1. How do we find the north-south and east-west components of the plane's displacement?

2. What is the formula to find the total displacement of the plane?

Steps to Calculate Total Displacement

1. To find the north-south component, multiply the distance traveled by the sine of the angle the plane is heading.

2. To find the east-west component, multiply the distance by the cosine of the angle.

3. Add up the north-south and east-west components to get the total displacement.

Calculating the total displacement of an airplane's journey involves breaking it down into its north-south and east-west components. By using trigonometry, we can determine the magnitude and direction of the plane's overall displacement.

North-South and East-West Components

When the plane heads north of East by a certain angle, we can use trigonometric functions to find the north-south and east-west components of its displacement. These components represent the distances traveled by the plane along the north-south and east-west directions, respectively.

The total displacement is then calculated by summing up the squares of these components and taking the square root of the result. This gives us the magnitude of the total displacement of the plane.

By understanding the trigonometric principles involved in calculating displacement, we can accurately determine the total distance and direction traveled by an object, such as an airplane, throughout its journey.