AMBIGUOUS CASE: from a position 110 km northwest of a coast guard stations, an oil tanker makes radio contact with the coast guard. the tanker is travelling due south at 25 km/h. the radar unit at the coast guard station has a range of 90km. for what length of time can the coast guard expect the tanker to be visible on the radar screen, to the nearest tenth of an hour?

Question

anonymous · Answer

do you have an exact location of the tanker with the coast guard station?  is it exactly northwest? (if so, that means 135 degrees from the east direction)  do i have that right?

anonymous · Answer

the textbook does not give me an exact location or even a diagram of it. whatever is given in the problem is all the information i have?

anonymous · Answer

@dpaInc but how did you get 135 degrees ... :S

stormfire1 · Answer

NW (compass bearing) to cartesian = 90 + 45 = 135

anonymous · Answer

@stormfire1 i don't know how the book expected me to know that  -.- but thank you !

stormfire1 · Answer

No problem :)  

Just remember that with compass bearings 0 degrees = due North and the degrees increase in a clockwise direction...this image may help: