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Homework Help: Plane's new velocity after wind from west

  1. Oct 21, 2012 #1
    A plane is traveling north at 200 meters/second; a wind blows from the west and accelerates the plane at 15m/s^2. If the wind lasts 10 seconds what is the plane's new velocity?

    2. Relevant equations
    velocity = acceleration*time

    3. The attempt at a solution
    v = (15m/s^2)(10s) = 150 m/s. Is that towards east? I tried doing Pythagorean theorem with 150 m/s as base and 200m/s as the vertical component since the plane was traveling north and got 132m/s for hypotenuse. But that's not one of the answer choices. ???
  2. jcsd
  3. Oct 21, 2012 #2
    Correct, the plane is blown east. Check your math. This is what I got for the hypotenuse.

  4. Oct 21, 2012 #3
    You're right! Thank you.