Question

A plane is heading south with a velocity of 150 kilometers/hour. It experiences a tailwind with a velocity of 20 kilometers/hour. Find the resultant velocity of the plane.

Answer 1

The tailwind speed would actually add up to the speed of the plane.

It would blow from behind the tail of the plane.

Resultant Velocity = 20 km/h + 150 km/h = 170 km/h

Answer 2

The resultant velocity of the plane is the sum of the velocities of the plane and the wind with the consideration of their directions. The plane heads south and the wind being a tailwind also heads south. Hence, we add their values. That is,
                                 r = 150 km/hr + 20 km/hr
The answer is 170 km/hr.