Two Dimensional Kinematics

Relative Velocity Problems

1.

Name: _______________________________

A jet airliner moving initially at 300 mi/h due east enters a region where the wind is blowing at 100
mi/h in a direction 30.0 north of east. What is the new velocity of the aircraft relative to the ground?
(390 mi/h at 7.37 N of E relative to the ground)

The velocity of the plane relative to the ground is the vector sum of the velocity of the plane relative to
r
r
r
v PG v PA v AG
the air and the velocity of the air relative to the ground, or
.

The components of this velocity are

u
r

300 mi h 100 mi h cos30.0 387 mi h

PG east

u
r

and

v
vPG

Thus,

0 100 mi h sin30.0 50.0 mi h

PG north

u
r

PG east

u
r
v PG

u
r

v
u
r
v

2
north

387 2 50.0 2 mi h 390 mi h

tan 1 50.0 7.37

387

PG north

tan
1

and

PG east

390 mi h at 7.37 N of E relative to the ground

The plane moves at

2.

A boat moves through the water of a river at 10 m/s relative to the water, regardless of the boats
direction. If the water in the river is flowing at 1.5 m/s, how long does it take the boat to make a round
trip consisting of a 300-m displacement downstream followed by a 300-m displacement upstream?

We use the following notation:

ur
v BS

ur
v BW

and

velocity of boat relative to the shore

velocity of boat relative to the water,
u
r
v WS

velocity of water relative to the shore.

u
r
v WS 1.5 m s

If we take downstream as the positive direction, then

for both parts of the trip. Also,
u
r
r
v BW 10 m s
v BW 10 m s
while going downstream and
for the upstream part of the trip.

The velocity of the boat relative to the shore is given by

While going downstream,

300 m
tdown
26 s
10+1.5 m s

vBS 10 m s 1.5 m s

ur
ur
ur
v BS v BW v WS

and the time to go 300 m downstream is

vBS 10 m s 1.5 m s 8.5 m s

When going upstream,

300 m
tup
35 s
8.5 m s
upstream is

and the time required to move 300 m

t tdown tup 26 35 s 61 s
The time for the round trip is

3.

A river flows due east at 1.50 m/s. A boat crosses the river from the south shore to the north shore by
maintaining a constant velocity of 10.0 m/s due north relative to the water. (a) What is the velocity of
the boat relative to the shore? (b) If the river is 300 m wide, how far downstream has the boat moved by
the time it reaches the north shore?

u
r
v BW 10 m s

, directed northward, is the velocity of the boat relative to the water.

u
r
v WS 1.5 m s

, directed eastward, is the velocity of the water relative to shore.

u
r
v BS

is the velocity of the boat relative to shore, and directed at an angle of ,

relative to the northward direction as shown.

r
r
r
v BS v BW v WS

The northward component of

u
r
v BS

is

vBS cos vBW 10 m s

vBS sin vWS 1.5 m s

The eastward component is

(a) Dividing equation (2) by equation (1) gives

vWS
1 1.50
tan
8.53
10.0
vBW

tan 1

vBS
From equation (1),

10 m s
10.1 m s
cos8.53

u
r
v BS 10.1 m s at 8.53 E of N
Therefore,

(1)

(2)

(b) The time to cross the river is

during this crossing is

300 m
300 m

30.0 s
vBS cos 10.0 m s

drift vBS sin t 1.50 m s 30.0 s 45.0 m

and the downstream drift of the boat

4.

A rowboat crosses a river with a velocity of 3.30 mi/h at an angle 62.5 north of west relative to the
water. The river is 0.505 mi wide and carries an eastward current of 1.25 mi/h. How far upstream is the
boat when it reaches the opposite shore?

u
r
v BW
u
r
v WS

and

velocity of boat relative to the water,

velocity of water relative to the shore

u
r
v BS

velocity of boat relative to the shore.

r
r
r
v BS v BW v WS

as shown in the diagram.

The northward (that is, cross-stream) component of

r

v BS north vBW sin 62.5 0 3.30

u
r
v BS

is

mi h sin 62.5 0 2.93 mi h

0.505 mi
0.173 h
2.93 mi h

The time required to cross the stream is then

The eastward (that is, downstream) component of

u
r

BS east

u
r
v BS

is

vBW cos62.5 vWS

3.30 mi h cos62.5 1.25 mi h 0.274 mi h

Since the last result is negative, it is seen that the boat moves upstream as it crosses the river. The
distance it moves upstream is
r
5280 ft
d v BS east t 0.274 mi h 0.173 h 4.72 10 2 mi
249 ft
1 mi

(249 ft)

5.

How long does it take an automobile traveling in the left lane of a highway at 60.0 km/h to overtake
(become even with) another car that is traveling in the right lane at 40.0 km/h when the cars front
bumpers are initially 100 m apart?

Choose the positive direction to be the direction of each cars motion relative to Earth. The velocity of
u
r
u
r
u
r
u
r
v FS v FE v ES
v FE 60.0 km h
the faster car relative to the slower car is given by
, where
is the
r
r
v ES v SE 40.0 km h
velocity of the faster car relative to Earth and
is the velocity of Earth relative
to the slower car.
u
r
v FS 60.0 km h 40.0 km h 20.0 km h

Thus,
m (0.100 km) closer to the slower car is

and the time required for the faster car to move 100

d
0.100 km
3600 s

5.00 10 3 h
18.0 s
vFS 20.0 km h
1h

6.

A science student is riding on a flatcar of a train traveling along a straight horizontal track at a constant
speed of 10.0 m/s. The student throws a ball along a path that she judges to make an initial angle of
60.0 with the horizontal and to be in line with the track. The students professor, who is standing on
the ground nearby, observes the ball to rise vertically. How high does the ball rise?
(15.3 m)
(7.23 x 103 m, 1.68 x 103 m)
u
r
v BC

u
r
v CE

u
r
v BE

the velocity of the ball relative to the car

10 m s

velocity of the car relative to Earth

the velocity of the ball relative to Earth

These velocities are related by the equation

ur
ur
ur
v BE v BC v CE

as illustrated in the diagram.

Considering the horizontal components, we see that

vBE cos60.0 vCE

vBC
or

10.0 m s
vCE

20.0 m s
cos 60.0 cos60.0

From the vertical components, the initial velocity of the ball relative to Earth is
vBE vBC sin 60.0 17.3 m s

Using

v y2 v02 y 2 ay y

y max

0 v02y
2 ay

vy 0
, with

when the ball is at maximum height, we find

2
17.3 m s 15.3 m
0 vBE

2 g 2 9.80 m s 2

as the maximum height the ball rises.

7.

Two canoeists in identical canoes exert the same effort paddling and hence maintain the same speed
relative to the water. One paddles directly upstream (and moves upstream), whereas the other paddles
directly downstream. With downstream as the positive direction, an observer on shore determines the
velocities of the two canoes to be 1.2 m/s and +2.9 m/s, respectively. (a) What is the speed of the water
relative to the shore? (b) What is the speed of each canoe relative to the water?
(0.85 m/s, 2.1 m/s)

u
r
u
r
u
r
v CS v CW v WS

u
r
v CW

The velocity of a canoe relative to the shore is given by

, where
is the velocity of
u
r
v WS
the canoe relative to the water and
is the velocity of the water relative to shore.
Applied to the canoe moving upstream, this gives
1.2 m s vCW vWS

(1)

and for the canoe going downstream

2.9 m s vCW vWS

(a) Adding equations (1) and (2) gives

2 vWS 1.7 m s

vWS 0.85 m s
, so

(b) Subtracting (1) from (2) yields

2 vCW 4.1 m s

vCW 2.1 m s
, or

(2)

8.

A sailboat is heading directly north at a speed of 20 knots (1 knot = 0.514 m/s). The wind is blowing
towards the east with a speed of 17 knots. Determine the magnitude and direction of the wind velocity
as measured on the boat. What is the component of the wind velocity in the direction parallel to the
motion of the boat? (See Problem 4.54 for an explanation of how a sailboat can move into the wind.)
(26 knots at 50 south of east, 20 knots to the south)

We are given that:

u
r
v BE 20 knots due north

(velocity of boat relative to Earth)

and
u
r
v WE 17 knots due east

(velocity of wind relative to Earth)

The velocity of the wind relative to the boat is

u
r
u
r
u
r
v WB v WE v EB
u
r
u
r
v EB v BE 20 knots south

where
shows this vector addition.

is the velocity of Earth relative to the boat. The vector diagram above

Since the vector triangle is a 90 triangle, we find the magnitude of

2
2
vWB vWE
vEB

u
r
v WB

to be

2
2
17 knots 20 knots 26 knots

and the direction is given by

vEB
1 20 knots
tan
50
17 knots
vWE

tan 1

ur
v WB 26 knots at 50 south of east
Thus,
From the vector diagram above, the component of this velocity parallel to the motion of the boat (that
u
r
u
r
v EB v BE 20 knots south
is, parallel to a north-south line) is seen to be