An adventurous Cub Scout is stranded on the wrong side of a canyon with a grizzly bear. In a desperate attempt to escape from the bear, the scout gathers his courage and leaps a mighty leap. He leaves the bear's side of the canyon at a velocity of 10 m/s at an angle of 53 degrees with respect to the horizontal. the canyon is 18 m wide and the other side of the canyon is lower by 12 m.
A) Find the horizontal (x) and vertical (y) components of the cub scout's initial velocity.
B) Will he land on he top of the cliff on the other side or will he fall into the canyon?

Question

An adventurous Cub Scout is stranded on the wrong side of a canyon with a grizzly bear. In a desperate attempt to escape from the bear, the scout gathers his courage and leaps a mighty leap. He leaves the bear's side of the canyon at a velocity of 10 m/s at an angle of 53 degrees with respect to the horizontal. the canyon is 18 m wide and the other side of the canyon is lower by 12 m.  
A) Find the horizontal (x) and vertical (y) components of the cub scout's initial velocity.
B) Will he land on he top of the cliff on the other side or will he fall into the canyon?

joannablackwelder · Answer

First, I would find the vertical and horizontal initial velocities by using a right triangle where the hypotenuse is 10 and the angle between the hypotenuse and the horizontal  is 53 deg. Are you familiar with trig ratios?