For the situation v u in which a swimmer chooses the direction giving minimum downstream drift while crossing a river of width d, the minimum drift is:

Question

For the situation v > u in which a swimmer chooses the direction giving minimum downstream drift while crossing a river of width d, the minimum drift is:

G1 Physics · Accepted Answer

At minimum drift, sinθ = u/v and cosθ = √(v² - u²)/v. Substitute in x = d(v - u sinθ)/(u cosθ). The numerator becomes (v² - u²)/v and the denominator becomes u√(v² - u²)/v. Hence x m i n x_min x m ​ in = d√(v² - u²)/u.

For the situation v &gt; u in which a swimmer chooses the direction giving minimum downstream drift while crossing a river of width d, the minimum drift is:

For the situation v > u in which a swimmer chooses the direction giving minimum downstream drift while crossing a river of width d, the minimum drift is: