Rescue Problem — Intercept a Drifting Victim
River speed v
r
(m/s)
(+x, downstream)
Rescuer speed u (m/s)
w.r.t. water
Victim start x
0
(m)
+ downstream, − upstream
Victim start y
0
(m)
distance from near bank
Heading angle θ (°)
from +y; + = downstream, − = upstream
Auto-aim intercept
(sets θ = arctan(x
0
/y
0
))
Heading invalid for rescue (u·cosθ ≤ 0). Raise u or change θ.
Play
Pause
Reset
Rescuer (ground frame)
Vx (m/s)
0.00
Vy (m/s)
0.00
|V| (m/s)
0.00
Angle to horizontal
0.0°
Time to victim’s y
—
Total distance traveled
—
Rescuer drift (x)
—
Victim (ground frame)
Vx (m/s)
0.00
Vy (m/s)
0.00
Victim drift (x)
—
True intercept?
—