Question

A vessel sails 41 miles S 35° E. How far south has it sailed?

Answer 1

Option A: The vessel has sailed 34 miles South

Explanation:

Given that the vessel sails 41 miles S 35° E.

We need to determine the how far south the vessel has sailed.

Let us use the Pythagorean theorem to find the distance of the vessel has sailed.

Thus, we have,

$cos \ \theta=\frac{adj}{hyp}$

Substituting $\theta=35^{\circ}$ , $adj=x$ and $hyp=41$

Hence, we get,

$cos \ 35=\frac{x}{41}$

Simplifying, we have,

$0.82=\frac{x}{41}$

Multiplying both sides by 41, we have,

$33.62=x$

Rounding off to the nearest integer, we have,

$34=x$

Thus, the vessel has sailed 34 miles South.

Therefore, Option B is the correct answer.