# Thread: multivariable trigo or a simple one?

1. ## multivariable trigo or a simple one?

well,, there is a ship 1( speed is 12 mph) who leaves midnight at port O in the direction S 60 degrees E. After 2 hours, ship 2 (speed is 10 mph) leave port O at direction N 40 E. At what time will ship 2 be exactly north of ship 1?

PS: this problem confuses me alot.. is there a way to analyze this better, coz i put a lot o unkowns in the drawing or figure..

2. Originally Posted by aeroflix
well,, there is a ship 1( speed is 12 mph) who leaves midnight at port O in the direction S 60 degrees E. After 2 hours, ship 2 (speed is 10 mph) leave port O at direction N 40 E. At what time will ship 2 be exactly north of ship 1?

PS: this problem confuses me alot.. is there a way to analyze this better, coz i put a lot o unkowns in the drawing or figure..
both ships will have the same x-position when one is directly north of the other ...

let port O be at the origin.

$x_1 = 12\cos(30) \cdot (t+2)$

$x_2 = 10\cos(50) \cdot t$

set $x_1 = x_2$ and solve for $t$, the number of hrs after ship 2 leaves port.