Question

Help with directional bearings

Answer 1

A boat leaves the entrance to a harbor and travels 40 miles on a bearing of S 64° E. How many miles south from the harbor has the boat traveled? Round to the nearest tenth of a mile.

Answer 2

How would you solve these ? is what i am confused about

Answer 3

make a triangle:

That much is given

Answer 4

So:

Answer 5

@e.mccormick so we are trying to find the adjacent then?

Answer 6

so 64cos=adjacent/40 cos(64)40?

Answer 7

yah, adjacent

\(\cos\theta = \dfrac{adj}{hyp}\)

\(\cos 64^\circ= \dfrac{adj}{40}\)

\(40\cos 64^\circ= adj\)

Yeppers, looks like what I did matches what you did.

Answer 8

:D yay so basically the thing is to just draw a picture?

Answer 9

If you get what they mean, just do the math. But a quick diagram can really help clarify things like this.