Introduction

A vector is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction. Vectors are generally oriented on a coordinate system, the most popular of which is the two-dimensional Cartesian plane. The Cartesian plane has a horizontal axis which is labeled x and a vertical axis labeled y. Some advanced applications of vectors in physics require using a three-dimensional space, in which the axes are x, y, and z. Vectors in multiple-dimension coordinate systems can be broken up into their component vectors. In the twodimensional case, this results in a x-component and a y-component. When breaking a vector into its components, the vector is a sum of the components: F = Fx + Fy. Velocity is the speed of an object and a specification of its direction of motion. A ferry moving in the sea has its own velocity and the velocity of the current. To find out the actual direction and speed of the ferry, we need to get its resultant velocity which can obtained by the addition of the two velocities. In this assignment, I was given a task to prepare an operating schedule for three ferries showing the departure time between 0600 hours and 1800 hours at jetty A and jetty B. Jetty A is on the mainland while Jetty B is on a resort island. Their distance is 36km apart. The bearing of jetty B is 030 from jetty A. The ferry is travels between jetty A and jetty B with an average speed of 10ms-1 in still water. I was required to show that the course on which the ferry must be steered in order to travel from jetty A to jetty B is east of north, where ( ) and the time taken, in minutes, for the journey is , when the current flows from west to east. I also need to find out the course on which the ferry must be steered in order to travel from jetty A to jetty B and the time taken for the journey by using a vector method in the case where the current flows from east to west. Next, I need to write down the course on which the ferry must be steered in order to return from jetty B to jetty A and the time taken for the return journey in the condition where the current flows from west to east and from east to west respectively. A graph is given about the velocity of the current on a day to let me prepare a schedule for the ferry showing its departure and arrival times between 6000 hours and 1800 hours. Its duration of embarkation and disembarkation at each jetty is 20 minutes. Finally, I need to combine all the three schedules for the three ferries to become an operating schedule at jetty A and jetty B.