Answer to Question #257680 in Molecular Physics | Thermodynamics for Noob

Question

A man walks westward on a ship with a speed of 4km/hr. The ship's propeller drives it 15km/hr south. What is the actual speed of the man relative to the Earth? What is the direction of his velocity?

Answer 1

The actual speed is

$v=\sqrt{4^2+15^2}=15.52\text{ km/h}.$

The direction is

$\theta=\tan^{-1}\frac{15}{4}=75°\text{ S of E}.$