topic badge
Middle Years

6.05 Bearings

Worksheet
True bearings
1

State the true bearing of the following:

a

Southwest

b

Northwest

c

West-Northwest

d

South-Southeast

e

Northeast

f

Southeast

2

Determine the true bearing of point B from point A in the following bearings diagram:

3

Determine the true bearing of point A from point B in the following bearings diagram:

Compass bearings
4

Consider the point A in the folowing diagrams:

i

Determine the true bearing of point A from O.

ii

Find the compass bearing of point A from O.

a
b
c
d
5

In the figure below, point B is due East of point A:

a

Find the true bearing of point A from point C.

b

Find the compass bearing of point A from point C.

6

Consider the following diagram:

a

Find the true bearing of point B from point C.

b

Find the compass bearing of point B from point C.

7

Consider the following diagram:

a

Find the true bearing of point C from point A.

b

Find the compass bearing of point C from point A.

8

Consider the following diagram:

a

Find the true bearing of point C from point B.

b

Find the compass bearing of point C from point B.

9

Determine whether the following diagrams display the point P with a compass bearing between N and W from the point O.

a
b
c
d
10

Determine whether the following diagrams show a true bearing of 296\degree \text{ T} for the point P from the origin O.

a
b
c
d
11

Determine whether the following diagrams display WNW:

a
b
c
d
12

If a person walks at a compass bearing of SW, and then turns around to go back in the direction they came, what direction are they heading now?

Applications
13

Consider the following diagram:

If the bearing of the clearing from the town is a \degree, find a to the nearest degree.

14

An aeroplane sets off on a bearing of 051\degree \text{T}. After some time, it needs to turn back and head to its original position. On what true bearing must it travel?

15

A boat sets off on a bearing of 125\degree \text{T} . After some time, it needs to turn back and head to its original position. On what true bearing must it travel?

16

Shortly after take-off, a plane is 42 \text{ km} south and 57 \text{ km} west of the airport in Sydney that it left from:

a

Find the size of the angle marked b, to one decimal place.

b

Hence, find the compass bearing of the plane from the airport.

c

State the true bearing of the plane from the airport.

17

The position of a ship S is given to be 20 \text{ km} from P, on a true bearing of 0 49 \degree \text{ T}. The position of the ship can also be given by its \left(x, y\right) coordinates.

a

Find the ship's x-coordinate to one decimal place.

b

Find the ship's y-coordinate to one decimal place.

18

On an orienteering course, Beth runs 1000 metres north from point A to point B, then turns east and runs to point C. If the true bearing of C from A is 062\degree \text{T} and the direct distance Beth must run to get back to point A is d metres, find d to the nearest metre.

19

During a group hike, a hiker walked 11\text{ km} \text{ NE} of base camp. In the evening the hiker was separated from the group and after a night lost in the wilderness, the hiker was found 11\text{ km} \text{ NW} of the base camp. What compass bearing must the hiker have followed during the night?

20

Luke sailed for 116 \text{ km} on a bearing of 231 \degree.

If w is how many kilometres west he has sailed from his starting point, find w to one decimal place.

21

During a rescue search, a helicopter flew west from point X to point Y, then changed course and flew 10.7 \text{ km} north to point Z.

If point Z is on a bearing of 335 \degree \text{ T} from point X:

a

Find the size of \angle YXZ.

b

If the distance from point Y to point X is b \text{ km}, find b to one decimal place.

c

If the distance that the helicopter must fly between point Z and point X is d \text{ km}, calculate d to one decimal place.

22

Three television presenters are practising their navigation skills before heading off on an expedition to a remote location.

Belinda at point B is positioned 17.6 \text{ m} south of Amelia at point A. Carl at point C is due east of Belinda and on a bearing of \text{S } 38 \degree \text{E} from Amelia.

If Amelia and Carl are d \text{ m} apart, find d to one decimal place.

23

A yacht sailed in a direction so that its final position was 248 \text{ km} west and 225 \text{ km} south of its starting point.

a

If the true bearing on which the yacht sailed is b \degree, find the value of b to one decimal place.

b

If the boat has sailed a total of d \text{ m}, find the value of d to one decimal place.

24

In remote locations, photographers must keep track of their position from their base. One morning a photographer sets out from base, represented by point B, to the edge of an ice shelf at point S on a bearing of 0 55 \degree. She then walked on a bearing of 145 \degree to point P, which is 916 \text{ m} due east of base.

a

State the size of \angle BSP.

b

Find the distance BS, to one decimal place.

c

Find the distance SP, to one decimal place.

d

If the photographer walks directly back to her base from point P, determine the total distance she would have travelled. Round your answer to one decimal place.

Sign up to access Worksheet
Get full access to our content with a Mathspace account

What is Mathspace

About Mathspace