A superhero flies 235 m from the top of a
tall building at an angle of 25 � below the
horizontal.
What is the horizontal component of the
superhero’s displacement? Draw the vectors
to scale on a graph to determine the answer.
Answer in units of m Your answer must be
within ± 5.0%
To find the horizontal component of the superhero's displacement, we need to use trigonometry.
The given angle, 25 degrees below the horizontal, can be considered as the angle between the displacement vector and the horizontal axis in a right-angled triangle.
To find the horizontal component, we can use the formula for the horizontal component of a vector:
Horizontal component = Displacement * cos(angle)
In this case, the displacement is given as 235 m, and the angle is 25 degrees.
Let's calculate the horizontal component:
Horizontal component = 235 m * cos(25 degrees)
Using a calculator, we find:
Horizontal component ≈ 211.27 m
Therefore, the horizontal component of the superhero's displacement is approximately 211.27 m.
To graphically represent the vectors, you can draw a coordinate system where the x-axis represents the horizontal direction and the y-axis represents the vertical direction. Starting from the origin (0,0), draw the displacement vector at an angle of 25 degrees below the horizontal and measure its length as 235 m. Then, using a ruler, measure the length of the horizontal component and compare it to the scale on the graph. By doing this, you can verify the numerical value obtained for the horizontal component.