Answer:
The teacher should swim in a direction 29.24° North of East
Explanation:
Given that the there is a water current across the lake, and the physics teacher intends to swim directly across the lake, the direction the physics teacher will have to swim is found as follows;
The speed of the water current is given by the speed of the floating leaf traveling with the water current
Distance traveled by the leaf = 4.2 m South
Time of travel of the leaf = 5.0 s
Speed of leaf = 4.2/5 = 0.84 m/s = Speed of the water current
Swimming peed of the teacher, v = 1.9 m/s
To swim directly across the lake, the teacher has to swim slightly in the opposite direction of the water current, the y-component of the teacher's swimming speed should be equal to and opposite that of the speed of the water current.
Y-component of v = v×sin(θ), where θ is the angle of the direction, the teacher should swim
Therefore;
1.9 × sin(θ) = 0.84
sin(θ) = 0.84/1.9 = 0.44
θ = 26.24°
That is the teacher should swim in a direction 29.24° North of East.
To cross the lake the teacher has to swim in a direction 29.24° North of the East
The speed of the water current can be derived from the speed of the floating leaf :
The distance traveled by the leaf L = 4.2 m South
Time taken T = 5s
So, the speed of the leaf is:
u = 4.2/5
u = 0.84 m/s South
So, the speed of the current is 0.84 m/s South
Now, it is given that the speed of the teacher is, v = 1.9 m/s East
To cross the lake the speed of the teacher must be in a Northeast direction so that the North component of the speed of the teacher cancels out the speed of the current which is directed towards the South.
Let, the speed of the teacher makes an angle of θ from the EAST.
So, the North component is given by:
v(north) = vsinθ
it must be equal to the speed of the current:
vsinθ = u
1.9 × sinθ = 0.84
sinθ = 0.84/1.9
sinθ = 0.44
θ = 26.24°
The teacher should swim in a direction 29.24° North of East.
Learn more about vector components:
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