tim@dciem.UUCP (Tim Pointing) (06/06/83)
This is a problem that my father, a University prof, has posed to
his students for a number of years and I thought it would be appropriate
to ask for a 'right' answer here. The problem is this: A sailboat is
drifting down the Amazon R. at the speed of the current (say 2mph). The
captain observes smoke from fires on the shore rising vertically (i.e. it
is a dead calm). Feeling a slight headwind (because the boat is drifting
with the water), he orders the crew to raise the sail so that they
can make better time by tacking into the wind. The crew, feeling rather
smart, tells the captain that raising the sail will slow the boat down
because of the drag.
Q: Who is right, the captain or the crew (and why)?
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Tim Pointing
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