An airport worker needs to make it across a luggage belt in order to retrieve a stuck suitcase. The belt is moving with 1.6 m/s, and the worker can run with v=1.7 m/s. If he wants to make it straight across the d=2.3 m wide belt, how long will it take for him to reach the other side?
Can someone please step me through this?
To solve this problem, we can use the concept of relative velocity. The relative velocity is the velocity of one object with respect to another object. In this case, we need to find the relative velocity between the airport worker and the luggage belt.
The velocity of the luggage belt is given as 1.6 m/s, and the velocity of the worker is given as 1.7 m/s. Since the worker is moving in the same direction as the luggage belt, we need to subtract the velocity of the luggage belt from the velocity of the worker to find the relative velocity:
Relative velocity = Velocity of worker - Velocity of luggage belt
= 1.7 m/s - 1.6 m/s
= 0.1 m/s
Now, we can use the equation:
time = distance / relative velocity
The distance the worker needs to cover is 2.3 m, and the relative velocity is 0.1 m/s. Plugging these values into the equation, we can find the time:
time = 2.3 m / 0.1 m/s
= 23 seconds
Therefore, it will take the worker 23 seconds to reach the other side of the 2.3 m wide luggage belt.