Why are scientists and engineers looking for ways to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels? Help

Ariver flows from north to south at 8 km/h. a boat is to cross this river from west to east at a speed of 20 km/h (speed of the boat with respect to the earth/ground). at what angle (in degrees) must the boat be pointed upstream such that it will proceed directly across the river (hint: find the speed of the boat with respect to water/river)? a 288 b. 21.8 c. 326 d. 30.2

Awall of 0.5m thickness is to be constructed from a material which has average thermal conductivity of 1.4 w/mk. the wall is to be insulated with a material having an average thermal conductivity of 0.35 w/mk so that heat loss per square meter shall not exceed 1450 w. assume inner wall surface temperature of 1200°c and outer surface temperature of the insulation to be 15°c. calculate the thickness of insulation required.

The characteristic roots of a dynamic system are: 1.7920 1.8160 i, -1.7920 1.8160 i, -0.4160 what is the order of this system? what are the settling time and damping ratio of the system?