Question

An airplane is heading due north. It experiences a crosswind in the westerly direction. What is the direction of travel for the airplane with respect to the ground?

Answer 1

Answer:

the direccion is θ = tan⁻¹ (Vw/Va)

Explanation:

The speed of the airplane is found by means of the sum of the two vectors, the airplane speed Va and the wind speed Vw.

The magnitude of the total velocity, we find it using the Pythagore  triangle

V = √(Va² + Vw²)

And the angle with respect to the north is

θ = tan⁻¹ (Vw/Va)

Answer 2

The direction is something between west and north. That is, a heading between 270 and 360. The exact direction depends on the airplane's airspeed and the wind speed.