In still air an aircraft flies at 200 m/s . The aircraft is heading due north in still air when it flies into a steady wind of 50 m/s blowing from the west. Calculate the magnitude and direction of the resultant velocity?

Vector diagram showing an aircraft flying at 200 m/s north with a wind blowing at 50 m/s from west. Therefore the problem involves pythagoras theorem.

So, the Magnitude of the resultant velocity is given by: Vr = squareroot of the addition of (200² + 50²) = 210m/s.

The direction of the resultant velocity is given by: Theta = tan^-1(opp/adj = 50/200) = 14 degrees.