A river 100 m wide flows due south.A boat that goes 1 m/s relative to the water is pointed due east as it crosses from the west bank.Relative to the Earth,the boat travels
A)nowhere.
B)141 m.
C)100 m.
D)200 m.
E)241 m.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The boat's velocity relative to the water is 1 m/s due east. The river's velocity relative to the Earth is 1 m/s due south. The boat's velocity relative to the Earth is the vector sum of these two velocities, which is 1 m/s due southeast. The boat travels 100 m due east and 100 m due south, for a total distance of 141 m.

A River 100 M Wide Flows Due South