<p>Can someone help me solve this related rate problem for my BC Calc class? Any help on how to start solving this/working through this would be awesome.</p>
<p>An elevated train on a track 20 feet above the ground crosses a street at a rate of 25 feet per second and at an angle of 30 degrees. Five seconds later a car crosses under the tracks going 40 feet per second. How fast are the train and the car separating 3 seconds later?</p>
<p>Your question is ambiguous. Which direction is the car going?</p>
<p>For example, suppose the street runs north-south. if the train has a “heading” of 30 degrees, is the car’s heading 0 or 180 degrees?</p>
<p>(FYI, I used “heading” so that we clearly know which direction the car/train is traveling. A 0-degree heading corresponds to north, 90 degree corresponds to east, etc. This is often used in aviation).</p>