Problem: "A biker bikes at a consistent speed of one mile every 4 minutes for 16 minutes in the direction S30°E and then in the direction N20°E for 10 minutes. Approximate the straight-line distance from the endpoint to the starting point of the biker."
So I understand 16/4 is 4 miles and 10/4 = 2.5 miles.
However I don't see how to implement the degrees and which angles they would represent. The S30°E format is throwing me off.
Right now we're learning law of sine and cosine. I would appreciate it if someone could walk me through the problem. Thank you!
If you make a drawing of the the bikers path, can you see that you can divide the line form the starting point to the end point in two lines $L_1$ and $L_2$ in a way such that you have two triangles with a rectangle? If so, you can calculate both $L_1$ and $L_2$ with the sine/cosine law. Does that help a little?