Two ships leave a harbor at the same time, traveling on courses that have an angle of 110∘ between them. If the first ship travels at 22 miles per hour and the second ship travels at 34 miles per hour, how far apart are the two ships after 1.2 hours?

49.07 miles

Explanation:

Angle between two ships = 110° = θ

First ship speed = 22 mph

Second ship speed = 34 mph

Distance covered by first ship after 1.2 hours = 22*1.2 = 26.4 miles = b

Distance covered by second ship after 1.2 hours = 34*1.2 = 40.8 miles = c

Here the angle between the two sides of a triangle is 110° so from the law of cosines we get

a² = b²+c²-2bc cosθ

⇒a² = 26.4²+40.8²-2*26.4*40.8 cos110

⇒a² = 2408.4

⇒a = 49.07 miles