Question

As part of an interview for a summer job with the Coast Guard, you are asked to help determine the search area for two sunken ships by calculating their velocity just after they collided. According to the last radio transmission from the 40,000-ton luxury liner, the Hedonist, it was going due west at a speed of 20 knots in calm seas through a rare fog just before it was struck broadside by the 60,000-ton freighter, the Ironhorse, which was traveling directly northeast at 10 knots. The transmission also noted that when the freighter's bow pierced the hull of the liner, the two ships stuck together and sank.To determine the search area, find the final velocity vector just after moment of collision.

Answer 1

Solution and Explanation:

The following calculation is made in order to find out the area and the final velocity vector.

Using the given information and the data in the question,  

m1u1 + m2u2 = (m1 + m2)  multiply with v

40000 multiply with ( -20i ) + 60000 multiply with ( 10j ) = 100000 multiply with v

  Therefore, v = -8i + 6j

That is  |v| = 10 knots towards the 36.86 degree north of the west