A flight from Dulles Airport in Washington, DC, to LaGuardia Airport in New York City has to circle LaGuardia several times before being allowed to land

/ Exams & Certification / By

A flight from Dulles Airport in Washington, DC, to LaGuardia Airport in New York City has to circle LaGuardia several times before being allowed to land. Plot a graph of the distance of the plane from Washington, DC, against time, from the moment of takeoff until landing.

The Correct Answer and Explanation is:

Graph Description:

To visualize the distance from Washington, DC to the airplane over time, imagine a graph where:

  • X-axis (horizontal) = Time since takeoff
  • Y-axis (vertical) = Distance from Washington, DC

Here’s how the graph behaves:

  1. Takeoff to cruising altitude (initial climb):
    • The graph slopes upward, as the plane rapidly gains distance from Washington, DC.
  2. Cruise phase (en route to NYC):
    • The slope becomes less steep, indicating the plane is moving at a constant high speed.
    • This section appears as a straight line with a consistent positive slope.
  3. Holding pattern (circling near LaGuardia):
    • The line flattens and oscillates slightly up and down.
    • These small fluctuations reflect the circular movement around the airport, where the plane’s distance from Washington may slightly increase or decrease but stays roughly constant.
  4. Final descent and landing:
    • The graph drops quickly, showing the plane rapidly decreasing its distance to Washington as it lands in New York City.
Graph (Conceptual, ASCII Approximation):

Distance from DC
^
|            _______
|           /       
|          /        
|         /         
|        /          
|       /           
|      /            <-- Holding pattern (wavy flat line)
|     /                  
|    /                  
|   /                   
|__/__________________________> Time

Explanation

This graph represents the distance of a plane from Washington, DC as it flies to LaGuardia Airport in New York. The flight consists of several phases, each showing a distinct behavior in terms of distance over time.

  1. Takeoff and Ascent: At the beginning, the plane takes off from Dulles Airport and begins climbing. During this time, the plane is quickly moving away from Washington, so the distance increases rapidly. The graph during this phase is steep, indicating a fast rate of increase.
  2. Cruising Phase: Once the plane reaches cruising altitude, it maintains a relatively constant speed toward New York City. This phase is represented by a straight line with a constant upward slope, showing a steady increase in distance from Washington.
  3. Holding Pattern: As the plane approaches LaGuardia, air traffic may prevent immediate landing. The plane may have to circle the airport in a holding pattern. During this time, the distance from Washington fluctuates slightly but remains fairly constant, since the plane is flying in loops rather than getting significantly closer to or farther from DC. This appears as a relatively flat, slightly wavy line on the graph.
  4. Descent and Landing: Finally, the plane is cleared to land and descends rapidly. As it lands, the distance from Washington stops increasing and levels off at the final value—approximately the straight-line distance between Washington, DC, and New York City. This part of the graph slopes downward or flattens, ending at the total distance.

Thus, the graph is not a simple straight line, but a combination of rising, flat, and slightly fluctuating segments that mirror real-life air travel dynamics.

Related Posts

Scroll to Top