Question

A swimmer can swim at a speed of 0.6 m/s with respect to water. She wants to cross a river which is 50 m wide and has a water current of 0.36 m/s. If she wants to reach on the other bank at a point directly opposite from her starting point, in which direction she must swim? OPTIONS: a) At right angle to river flow b) At 53° with river flow c) At 127° with river flow d) At 143° with river flow

Answer 1

To cross the river, the swimmer should swim at a right angle to the river flow.

Step-by-step explanation:

To cross the river and reach the point directly opposite from her starting point, the swimmer should swim at a right angle to the river flow. This is because swimming at a right angle to the current will result in the shortest path across the river.

Given that the swimmer can swim at a speed of 0.6 m/s with respect to the water, and the water current is flowing at 0.36 m/s, we can use the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the net velocity of the swimmer. The magnitude of the net velocity is given by:

|v| = sqrt( (0.6)^2 + (0.36)^2 ) = 0.72 m/s

The direction of the net velocity is perpendicular to the river flow, which means the swimmer should swim at a right angle to the river flow.

Learn more about River crossing