All Problems

Kinematics

Problem 1.7

Two swimmers leave point AA on one bank of the river to reach point BB lying right across on the other bank. One of them crosses the river along the straight line ABA B while the other swims at right angles to the stream and then walks the distance that he has been carried away by the stream to get to point BB. What was the velocity uu of his walking if both swimmers reached the destination simultaneously? The stream velocity v0=2.0v_{0}=2.0 km/hour and the velocity vv^{\prime} of each swimmer with respect to water equals 2.5 km2.5 \mathrm{~km} per hour.

Reveal Answer
u=v0(1v02/v2)1/21=3.0 km per hour. u=\frac{v_{0}}{\left(1-v_{0}^{2} / v^{\prime 2}\right)^{-1 / 2}-1}=3.0 \mathrm{~km} \text { per hour. }