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A hot-air balloon is rising vertically 5m/s5\,\text{m/s} while the wind is blowing horizontally at 3m/s3\,\text{m/s}. Find the speed vv of the balloon and the angle θ\theta it makes with the horizontal. 5m/s5\,\text{m/s} Balloon 3m/s3\,\text{m/s} Wind

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Q. A hot-air balloon is rising vertically 5m/s5\,\text{m/s} while the wind is blowing horizontally at 3m/s3\,\text{m/s}. Find the speed vv of the balloon and the angle θ\theta it makes with the horizontal. 5m/s5\,\text{m/s} Balloon 3m/s3\,\text{m/s} Wind
  1. Identify components: Identify the components of the balloon's velocity.\newlineThe balloon is rising vertically at 5m/s5\,\text{m/s} and the wind is blowing horizontally at 3m/s3\,\text{m/s}.
  2. Use Pythagorean theorem: Use the Pythagorean theorem to find the resultant speed vv of the balloon.\newlineThe vertical and horizontal components of the velocity are perpendicular to each other, so we can treat them as the legs of a right triangle, with the balloon's speed vv as the hypotenuse.\newlinev2=(vertical speed)2+(horizontal speed)2v^2 = (\text{vertical speed})^2 + (\text{horizontal speed})^2\newlinev2=52+32v^2 = 5^2 + 3^2\newlinev2=25+9v^2 = 25 + 9\newlinev2=34v^2 = 34\newlinev=34v = \sqrt{34}\newlinev5.83v \approx 5.83 m/s
  3. Calculate resultant speed: Calculate the angle θ\theta the balloon's path makes with the horizontal.\newlineWe can use the tangent function, which is the ratio of the opposite side (vertical speed) to the adjacent side (horizontal speed) in a right triangle.\newlinetan(θ)=vertical speedhorizontal speed\tan(\theta) = \frac{\text{vertical speed}}{\text{horizontal speed}}\newlinetan(θ)=53\tan(\theta) = \frac{5}{3}\newlineTo find θ\theta, we take the arctan (inverse tangent) of 53\frac{5}{3}.\newlineθ=arctan(53)\theta = \arctan\left(\frac{5}{3}\right)\newlineθ59.04\theta \approx 59.04 degrees

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