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A dog runs 250 feet south, then turns and runs at an angle of [tex]25^{\circ}[/tex] west of south for 252 feet. What is the direction of the dog's resultant vector?

[tex]\[
\begin{array}{c}
|\overrightarrow{R}| = 490.10 \text{ feet} \\
\theta = [?]^{\circ}
\end{array}
\][/tex]

Round your answer to the nearest hundredth.


Sagot :

To find the direction of the dog's resultant vector after running 250 feet south and then 252 feet at an angle of [tex]\( 25^{\circ} \)[/tex] west of south, we can follow these steps:

1. Determine the position of the second leg of the run:
- The dog first runs 250 feet directly south. This initial movement is a straightforward downward motion in the south direction.
- Next, the dog turns and runs 252 feet at an angle of [tex]\( 25^{\circ} \)[/tex] west of south.

2. Break down the second leg into its components:
- To analyze this motion, let's convert the angle to Cartesian coordinates. We will calculate the westerly (x) and southerly (y) components of this second part of the run.
- Westerly component ([tex]\( \Delta x \)[/tex]):
[tex]\[ \Delta x = 252 \cdot \sin(25^{\circ}) \][/tex]
- Southerly component ([tex]\( \Delta y \)[/tex]):
[tex]\[ \Delta y = 252 \cdot \cos(25^{\circ}) \][/tex]

3. Calculate the net displacements in both directions:
- The total westerly displacement ([tex]\( x \)[/tex]-direction) will simply be:
[tex]\[ \text{Total } x = -\Delta x \][/tex]
Here, it's negative because moving west signifies a negative x-direction.
- The total southerly displacement ([tex]\( y \)[/tex]-direction) will be the sum of the initial 250 feet plus the southerly component of the second leg:
[tex]\[ \text{Total } y = -250 - \Delta y \][/tex]
This remains negative due to the direction being south.

4. Determine the magnitude of the resultant vector:
- The magnitude of the resultant vector is found using the Pythagorean theorem:
[tex]\[ |\overrightarrow{R}| = \sqrt{(\text{Total } x)^2 + (\text{Total } y)^2} \][/tex]
- Given [tex]\(|\overrightarrow{R}|\)[/tex] is 490.10 feet from our solution, we move to the next step.

5. Calculate the direction of the resultant vector:
- The direction angle [tex]\( \theta \)[/tex], measured relative to the south, can be found using the arctangent function:
[tex]\[ \theta = \tan^{-1}\left( \frac{\text{Total } x}{\text{Total } y} \right) \][/tex]
- However, since it involves the correct mathematical correction:
[tex]\[ \theta = 180^\circ + \text{atan2}(\text{Total } x, \text{Total } y) \][/tex]

From the given answer, the resultant angle relative to the south was calculated and concludes:

[tex]\[ \theta \approx 12.55^\circ \][/tex]

Therefore, the direction of the dog's resultant vector is approximately [tex]\( 12.55^\circ \)[/tex] west of south.
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