Question

Help mee A scout troop are hiking in a forest. Starting from their base, they walk 4.2km south followed by 7.1km west. They want to walk the shortest distance back to their base. On what bearing should the scouts walk?

Answer 1

Answer:

They should walk on a bearing of 59.4 degrees

Step-by-step explanation:

Given

$South = 4.2km$

$West = 7.1km$

Required

The bearing back to the base

The given question is illustrated with the attached image.

To do this, we simply calculate the measure of angle a using:

$\tan(a) = \frac{Opposite}{Adjacent}$

$\tan(a) = \frac{7.1}{4,2}$

$\tan(a) = 1.6905$

Take arctan of both sides

$a = \tan^{-1}(1.6905)$

$a = 59.4^o$