Whale sharks swim forward while ascending or descending. They swim along a straight-line path at a shallow angle as they move fr

Question

3 months ago

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Whale sharks swim forward while ascending or descending. They swim along a straight-line path at a shallow angle as they move fr

om the surface to deep water or from the depths to the surface. In one recorded dive, a shark started 50 m below the surface and swam at 0.85 m/s along a path tipped at a 13 ∘ angle above the horizontal until reaching the surface.

Physics

1 answer:

Keith_Richards [3.2K] · Answer 1 · 2026-03-17T06:14:32+03:00

Although you didn't provide the question, I'm here to clarify the issue and guide you in locating the necessary information.

1) The shark rises at an angle of 13°, calculated as follows:

Vertical ascending speed = 0.85m/s * sin(13°)

Horizontal speed = 0.85m/s * cos(13°)

2) The distance the shark covers while ascending is determined as follows

Vertical ascent length = 50 m

Horizontal distance, y:

$\frac{y}{50} = \frac{0.85sin(13)}{0.85cos(13)}$

This gives y = 50 * tan(13°)

=> y = 11.54 m.

3) In conclusion:

1) The shark traveled 50 m upward vertically and 11.54 m horizontally.

2) To find the length of the path taken by the shark, we can use Pythagoras' theorem:

hypotenuse^2 = (50m)^2 + (11.54m)^2 = 2633.25m^2

hypotenuse = 51.35m

Consequently, the shark swam 51.35 m to surface.