Boats and Streams Questions

Multiple choice
  1. $6\ h$
  2. $7.5\ h$
  3. $10\ h$
  4. $15\ h$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Let v be boat speed, u be stream speed. Downstream: v+u = D/6. Upstream: v-u = D/10. Adding: 2v = D/6 + D/10 = (5D+3D)/30 = 8D/30 = 4D/15. v = 2D/15. Time in still water = D/v = D / (2D/15) = 15/2 = 7.5 hours.

Multiple choice
  1. $\dfrac{m + n}{2\, m\, n}$
  2. $\dfrac{m - n}{2\, m\, n}$
  3. $\dfrac{n - m}{2\, m\, n}$
  4. $\dfrac{2(m + n)}{ m\, n}$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Speed upstream = 1/m km/min. Speed downstream = 1/n km/min. Let boat speed be B and current speed be C. B - C = 1/m and B + C = 1/n. Adding the two equations: 2B = 1/m + 1/n = (n+m)/(mn). So B = (m+n)/(2mn).

Multiple choice
  1. $=(2u+2v\cos \theta )\dfrac{d}{v\sin\theta}$
  2. $=(2u+v\cos \theta )\dfrac{d}{v\sin\theta}$
  3. $=(u+3v\cos \theta )\dfrac{d}{v\sin\theta}$
  4. $=(u+v\cos \theta )\dfrac{d}{v\sin\theta}$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The swimmer's velocity along the river is v cos(theta), while the river adds velocity u in the same direction. The time to cross is d/(v sin(theta)), so the downstream displacement is (u + v cos(theta))d/(v sin(theta)). The listed expression answers part c, but parts a and b are not represented separately.

Multiple choice
  1. $d=765m$
  2. $d=865m$
  3. $d=965m$
  4. $d=1065m$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Let d be the width, v=17, u=8. Quickest path time t1 = d / sqrt(v^2 - u^2) = d / sqrt(289 - 64) = d / sqrt(225) = d / 15. Shortest path time t2 = d / v = d / 17. The difference t2 - t1 = 6. So d/15 - d/17 = 6. (17d - 15d) / 255 = 6, 2d = 1530, d = 765 m.

Multiple choice
  1. $3km{h}^{-1}$
  2. $km{h}^{-1}$
  3. $5km{h}^{-1}$
  4. $6km{h}^{-1}$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Let v be boat speed and u be stream speed. The raft moves at speed u. The boat travels downstream for 1 hour (60 min), then turns back. The relative speed of the boat and raft is (v+u) - u = v downstream and (v-u) + u = v upstream. The distance covered by the raft in the time the boat returns is 6km. This setup implies the stream velocity is 3km/h.

Multiple choice
  1. $\dfrac{t_1+t_2}{2}$
  2. $2(t_2=t_1)$
  3. $\dfrac{2 t_1 t_2}{t_1+t_2}$
  4. $\sqrt{t_1 t_2}$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Let d be the distance, v be boat speed, u be stream speed. t1 = d/(v+u) and t2 = d/(v-u). Then 1/t1 = (v+u)/d and 1/t2 = (v-u)/d. Adding these: 1/t1 + 1/t2 = 2v/d. So v/d = (t1+t2)/(2*t1*t2). The time in still water is d/v = (2*t1*t2)/(t1+t2).

Multiple choice
  1. 11 $kmh^{-1}$
  2. 22 $kmh^{-1}$
  3. 33 $kmh^{-1}$
  4. 44 $kmh^{-1}$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Boat velocity vB = 25 (North). Current vC = 10 (60 deg east of south). East of south is 120 deg from North. Use vector addition: Resultant^2 = 25^2 + 10^2 + 2 * 25 * 10 * cos(120). Resultant^2 = 625 + 100 + 500 * (-0.5) = 725 - 250 = 475. Resultant = sqrt(475) approx 21.8, which is 22.

Multiple choice
  1. $30^\circ$
  2. $37^\circ$
  3. $53^\circ$
  4. $63.4^\circ$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The river contributes 3 m/s eastward and the boat contributes 6 m/s northward. Therefore, tan(theta) = 6/3 = 2, so theta is approximately 63.4 degrees from the river flow.

Multiple choice
  1. $v_{0} = 10\ ms^{-1}, \theta_{0} = 30^{\circ}$
  2. $v_{0} = 10\ ms^{-1}, \theta_{0} = 40^{\circ}$
  3. $v_{0} = 10\ ms^{-1}, \theta_{0} = 60^{\circ}$
  4. Same for all the above

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Multiple choice
  1. $\dfrac{1}{8}$
  2. $\dfrac{1}{4}$
  3. $\dfrac{1}{2}$
  4. $1$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

For the shortest path, the boat must head upstream such that its resultant velocity is perpendicular to the river flow. The resultant speed across the river is sqrt(10^2 - 6^2) = 8 km/h. Time = distance / speed = 1 / 8 hours.