Grantham PHY220 Week 2 Problem 2

An airplane is 5,000 m above an observer and 2.1 km to the west of them and 1.5 km to the north of you. Determine the angle to the plane in the x – y axis and the total distance to the plane from you. Choose the x-axis east, y axis north, and z axis up.

Solution:

The angle of the plane in the x-y axis

Solve for \theta

\theta =tan^{-1}\left(\frac{1500}{2100}\right)=35.5^{\circ}

The angle is 35.5 degrees measured from the west axis. If it is measured from the East axis, the angle would be 180-35.5=144.5 degrees.

The distance from the plane to the observer

Solve for d=\sqrt{\left(1500\:m\right)^2+\left(2100\:m\right)^2+\left(5000\:m\right)^2}=5626.72\:m