3 swimmers cross a river with a downstream current.
Swimmer A swims straight across and ends up down the river.
Swimmer B swims against the current, and reaches the shore directly across from the starting point.
Swimmer C swims with the current, landing very down stream.
Who gets across first?
Swimmer C crosses the river more quickly because she is traveling faster, at the speed of the river plus the speed of her added effort.
Why would this happen? Aren't the vertical and horizontal components independent of each other thus making the swimmer swimming perpendicular to the shore arrive first at the opposite shore since the vertical component is the largest of the three other swimmers. That's my view of the problem. If someone could explain in detail why I am wrong email me at e.sabado95 (at) gmail (dot) com
To determine who gets across first, we need more information such as the speed of the swimmers and the speed of the downstream current. However, we can analyze the situation based on the given information.
Swimmer A swims straight across but ends up down the river, which suggests that the downstream current was stronger than the swimmer's swimming speed. Therefore, Swimmer A might take longer to cross than Swimmer B or Swimmer C.
Swimmer B swims against the current and reaches the shore directly across from the starting point. Since Swimmer B is swimming against the current, their swimming speed must have been faster than the speed of the downstream current. As a result, Swimmer B might have a better chance of reaching the other side first.
Swimmer C swims with the current and ends up landing downstream. If the current is strong, Swimmer C may be carried along at a faster pace than their swimming speed, potentially making them the first to reach the other side.
Without knowing the specific speeds involved, it is difficult to determine who gets across first. The outcome depends on the relative speeds of the swimmers and the downstream current.