Question

A plane is flying from London to Toronto at 780 km/h [North-West]. To land at Toronto, the plane needs to come in with a velocity of 450 km/h [South-West]. In which two cardinal directions will the plane need to accelerate to land? South and West South and East North and West North and East

Answer 1

To land with a velocity of 450 km/h [South-West], the plane must accelerate in the South and East cardinal directions to change its velocity from 780 km/h [North-West].

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question involves determining the directions in which a plane must accelerate to change its velocity from flying North-West at 780 km/h to South-West at 450 km/h for a proper landing approach. In order to change the direction of the velocity from north to south while maintaining the westward component, the plane must accelerate towards the south. Furthermore, to decrease its speed from 780 km/h to 450 km/h while flying westwards, the plane must also accelerate to the east, which is the direction opposite to its current westward component of velocity. Therefore, to land at Toronto with the specified velocity, the plane will need to accelerate in the South and East cardinal directions.