An aircraft on a reconnaissance mission takes off from its home base and flies 550 miles at a bearing of S 46° E to a location in the sea. It then flies 483 miles from the sea at a bearing of S 55° W to another location. Finally, the aircraft flies straight back from the second location to its base. What is the total distance it flies, rounded to the nearest mile?

Question

mattyboyy · Answer

attachment

mattyboyy · Answer

@Somy

ahsome · Answer

Use $tan\theta=\frac{0}{A}$ to find the distance

ahsome · Answer

What is the opposite, and adjacent in this drawing?

mattyboyy · Answer

opposite and adjacent of which? @Ahsome

ahsome · Answer

Let me draw it for you:
|dw:1423659601918:dw|. We want to find $x$. Lets use the angle 46 to find $x$. What info are we given?

cwrw238 · Answer

you need to find the distance AC 
to do this you can use the sine or cosine rule

ahsome · Answer

Doesn't that only work for 90 Degree angles?

cwrw238 · Answer

you ca't do it that way because thats not a right angled triangle

cwrw238 · Answer

@mattyboy - have you learnt the sine , and cosune rules for any triangle?

mattyboyy · Answer

Yes, I think all of them @cwrw238

mattyboyy · Answer

So do I still try to find the distance AC or is that still only for 90 degrees?

cwrw238 · Answer

|dw:1423660013921:dw|