<p>First draw it out. Call the port point A, the place where the ship turns point B and the point where it stops point C. We are given that B is 15 nm east of A and that the ship travels 40 nm in a direction 20 degrees west of north. Therefore, angle ABC is 70 degrees and point C is 40 * sin(70) or about 37.59 nm north of points A and B. At the same time, it is 40 * cos(70) or about 13.68 nm west of point B and therefore about 1.32 nm east of point A. The distance from C to A is therefore </p>
<p>SQRT(1.32<em>1.32 + 37.59</em>37.59) or about 37.61 nm. You now have a triangle with three known sides and one known angle so you can once again use the law of sines to get the other two angles. From that, you can get the bearing from C to A.</p>
<p>You can do this or the firetower problem without the law of sines by breaking down the oblique triangle into two right trianges and working on them separately. The law of sines is a nice shortcut if you happen to know it and will save you precious time on tests.</p>
<p>And if you want to save even more time, you might notice that the bearing is the inverse tangent of (1.32/37.59) or about 2 degrees west of south. That way, you don't even have to worry about the other two angles of triangle ABC or the distance from C to A.</p>
<p>Engineering is where the big bucks WERE. Everything is outsourced now and I got laid off so I do music while looking for another engineering job.</p>
<p>With the baby boomers starting to hit retirement age, I would think the medical professions would be pretty hot for the next 40 years or so. Good luck.</p>
<p>Concerning finance, I wouldn't last a week as a beancounter. I need to do more than move money from one pile to another all day.</p>