Question

The Arctic tern is an amazing bird that migrates 22,000 miles from the North Pole to the South Pole every September (and back home every April). At dawn on a certain September day, one bird is flying due south past Lisbon, Portugal, a distance of 3,124 miles from his Arctic home. He is flying at a constant velocity of 17 miles per hour. How far, in miles, will he be from home at sunset, exactly 12 hours later?

Answer 1

For constant velocity \(v\), distance traveled \(\Delta x\) is given in terms of time \(\Delta t\) as follows, by the definition of \(v\).\[v \overset{\text{def}}{=} \frac{\Delta x}{\Delta t} \longrightarrow \boxed{\Delta x=v\Delta t}\]

Answer 2

so will it be 2920 miles?

Answer 3

Careful! If it's flying south, that means it's flying away from its Arctic home.