An airplane is flying at a speed of 250 mph at an altitude of 4 miles. The plane passes directly above a radar station at time t = 0.
What is the distance s between the plane and the radar station after four minutes?
looks like a right-angled triangle
horizontal distance = 250(4/60) = 50/3 miles
vertical distance = 4 miles
hypotenuse --- x
x^2 = (50/3)^2 + 4^2
= ....
17.1
To find the distance between the plane and the radar station after four minutes, we need to calculate the distance the plane travels in that time.
First, let's convert the speed of the plane from miles per hour (mph) to miles per minute (mpm). We know that 1 hour is equal to 60 minutes. So, the plane's speed is:
Speed = 250 mph / 60 minutes = 4.167 mpm (rounded to 3 decimal places)
Now, we can calculate the distance traveled by the plane in four minutes using the formula:
Distance = Speed × Time
Distance = 4.167 mpm × 4 minutes = 16.667 miles (rounded to 3 decimal places)
Therefore, the distance between the plane and the radar station after four minutes is approximately 16.667 miles.