Question

Suppose you first walk 11.5 m in a direction 20° west of north and then 24.5 m in a direction 40° south of west as shown in the figure. What is the component of your displacement in the x-direction, in meters?

Answer 1

The component of a displacement in the x-direction

$$R_x=-11.5\sin(20^{\circ})-24.5\cos(40^{\circ})=-22.7\:\rm m$$