A missile is fired at an angle of 75 from the horizontal. At one point, its speed was 900 mph. Find its horizontal velocity in miles per minute
To find the horizontal velocity of the missile in miles per minute, we need to determine the horizontal component of its velocity.
The horizontal component of the velocity can be found by multiplying the total velocity by the cosine of the launch angle, as the cosine function represents the ratio of the adjacent side (horizontal) to the hypotenuse (total velocity).
Let's calculate the horizontal velocity:
Step 1: Convert the velocity from mph to miles per minute.
Since there are 60 minutes in an hour, we divide the velocity by 60 to convert it from mph to miles per minute.
Horizontal velocity (in miles per minute) = 900 mph / 60 = 15 miles per minute.
Step 2: Calculate the horizontal component of the velocity using the launch angle.
To find the horizontal velocity, we need to multiply the total velocity (15 miles per minute) by the cosine of the launch angle (75 degrees).
Horizontal velocity (in miles per minute) = 15 miles per minute * cos(75°)
We can use a scientific calculator or online tool to find the cosine of 75 degrees, which is approximately 0.2588.
Horizontal velocity (in miles per minute) ≈ 15 miles per minute * 0.2588
≈ 3.882 miles per minute
Therefore, the horizontal velocity of the missile is approximately 3.882 miles per minute.