- #1
Crush1986
- 207
- 10
Homework Statement
You are canoeing on a lake. Starting at your camp on the shore, you travel 240m in the direction 32 degrees south of east to reach a store to purchase supplies. You know the distance because you have located both your camp and the shore on a map of the lake. On the return trip you travel distance B in the direction 48 degrees north of west, distance C in the direction of 62 degrees south of west, and then you are back at your camp. You measure the directions of travel with your compass, but you don't know the distances. Since you are curious to know the total distance you rowed, use vector methods to calculate distances B and C.
Homework Equations
A/Sin(a) = B/sin(b)=C/sin(c)
The Attempt at a Solution
I obtained the correct answer by drawing out the vectors with the angles given. After some reasoning I found that the vectors made a triangle with angles 94, 16, and 70 degrees with a side of 240m. I used the law of sin's and found that B = 255m and C = 70m, I saw that I was correct after looking up the answer. Is this the only way to do this problem? Or did I miss a concept somewhere that had more to do with resolving the X and Y components of the 240m vector and somehow moving on from there?
I thank you for your help.