A helicopter is flying horizontally with a speed of 444 m/s over a hill that slopes upward with a 2% grade (that is,the "rise" is 2% of the "run").What is the component of the helicopter's velocity perpendicular to the sloping surface of the hill?
A) 8.9 m/s
B) 220 m/s
C) 435 m/s
D) 444 m/s

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The component of the helicopter's velocity perpendicular to the sloping surface of the hill can be found using trigonometry. The angle of the slope can be found using the inverse tangent function: tan inverse(2/100) = 1.14 degrees. This is a very small angle, so we can assume that the horizontal velocity of the helicopter is approximately equal to the component of its velocity parallel to the slope. Therefore, we can use the sine function to find the component of the velocity perpendicular to the slope: sin(1.14 degrees) = 0.02. Multiplying this by the velocity of the helicopter gives: 0.02 x 444 m/s = 8.9 m/s. Therefore, the answer is A) 8.9 m/s.

A Helicopter Is Flying Horizontally with a Speed of 444