Question

Skydivers such as Cassidi Reese know that once they step out of the plane they not only travel vertically downward, they also travel horizontally, landing perhaps a mile or so from the point above which they exited the plane. In this tutorial, we consider a training exercise in which the skydiver—Rebecca, jumping alone—must meet her instructor on the ground at a particular rendezvous point. The rendezvous point is located 1740 m southeast from the point below the plane when Rebecca exits. The plane is at an altitude of 4300 m when Rebecca exits. She lands 1790 m to the south and 1640 m to the east of the point directly below the location of the plane at the time of her exit. Choose a coordinate system such that the positive x, y, and z directions correspond to east, north, and up, respectively. Then use this coordinate system to find Rebecca's displacement in component form. Finally, find the shortest distance Rebecca must walk along the ground to arrive at her instructor.

To find Rebecca's displacement from the plane to her landing point, we must first correctly find her initial and final positions using the chosen coordinate system. The subscripts i and f stand for initial and final. Write out Rebecca's positions in component form; be sure to enter negative signs where necessary.

Answer 1