Help me please!
An airplane leaves an airport and flies due west 150 miles and then 170 miles in the direction S 49.17°W. How far is the plane from the airport (round to the nearest mile)?

Question

Help me please!
An airplane leaves an airport and flies due west 150 miles and then 170 miles in the direction S 49.17°W. How far is the plane from the airport (round to the nearest mile)?

imstuck · Answer

I believe your pic will look like this:|dw:1410575723095:dw|and you are looking for x.  My guess is that you are working on trig functions right now?

imstuck · Answer

|dw:1410575836253:dw|

anonymous · Answer

Thats close. The shape is a little more like this from the question ( I couldnt save and provide the picture)

imstuck · Answer

I took the direction (thus, the angle measure) to be 49.17 degrees south of west.

anonymous · Answer

|dw:1410568757672:dw|

I know that angle is measured 90+49.17 = 139.17.
Not sure after this however

imstuck · Answer

Law of Cosines.

imstuck · Answer

Are you learning that yet?  It's the only way to find the measure of the missing side.

anonymous · Answer

Yes, currently I am. I have the formulas and such in front of me but I have no absolute idea what I am doing lol

imstuck · Answer

Ok!  No problem!  I am going to use your drawing and the formula, ok?

anonymous · Answer

okay (:

imstuck · Answer

|dw:1410576560065:dw|