Question

A boat travels in a straight path that is 25° west of north. Which describes the values of the west and north components of the boat’s displacement?
Both components are positive numbers. Both components are negative numbers. The west component is a negative number, and the north component is a positive number. The west component is a positive number, and the north component is a negative number

Answer 1

The answer to the question would be the second choice: The west component is a negative number, and the north component is a positive number. It can be based upon in a Cartesian coordinate system wherein the coordinate is located in the second quadrant. 

Answer 2

Answer:

The west component is a negative number, and the north component is a positive number.

Explanation:

For this problem, we take the standard Cartesian axis, so that:

- along the vertical axis, the north direction is positive, and the south direction is negative

- along the horizontal axis, the east direction is positive, and the west direction is negative

The boat travels in a direction which is 25° west of north. This means that its vertical component is in the north direction, while the horizontal component is in the west direction. Since north = positive and west = negative, the correct option is

The west component is a negative number, and the north component is a positive number.