California Institute of Technology

Young Engineers & Science Scholars 2010

Problem Set 1 Solutions
Fundamentals of Vectors and Mathematical Models

Problem 1
Determine the following quantities:
Two vectors are given by: ~a = 4i3j +1k and ~b = 1i+1j +4k.
~a + ~b, ~a ~b, and a third vector, ~c, such that ~a ~b + ~c = 0.
SOLUTION:
~a + ~b = 3i 2j + 5k
~a ~b = 5i 4j 3k
~c = ~b ~a = 5i + 4j + 3k
Problem 2
Determine the following quantities:
Two vectors are given by: ~a = 3i + 5j + 2k and ~b = 2i + 4j + 6k.
~
~
~
~
~a b, (~a + b) b, and ~a b.
SOLUTION:
~a ~b = 22i 14j + 2k
(~a + ~b) ~b = 94
~a ~b = 38
Problem 3
If v~1 + v~2 = 5 v~3 , v~1 v~2 = 3 v~3 , and v~3 = 2i + 4j, find v~1 and v~2 .
SOLUTION:
v~1 = 8i + 16j
v~2 = 2i + 4j
Problem 4
a) Calculate (i j). What angle does this new vector make with i and j? b) Now calculate (j i).
Compare your answer to the one you obtained in part a. Is the cross product commutative? c)
What do you get when you cross two vectors that are parallel to each other?
Calculate (k k).

What do you get when you dot two vectors that are parallel to each other?
d) Calculate (k k).
What do you get when you dot two vectors that are perpendicular to each other?
e) Calculate (j k).
SOLUTION:
Recall that k is perpendicular to both i and j. Therefore, the angle that k makes
a) i j = k.

between i and j is 90 .
From this we see that i j = j i. Therefore, the cross product is not commutative.
b) j i = k.
c) k k = 0. The cross product of any two parallel vectors is zero.
d) k k = 1. The dot product of any two parallel vectors is equal to the product of their magnitudes.
e) j k = 0. The dot product of any two perpendicular vectors is zero.
1

Problem 5

Calculate the angle between the following two vectors: ~a = 3i + 3j + 3k and ~b = 2i + 1j + 3k.
Hint: Consider the definition for the dot product.
SOLUTION:
~a ~b = |~a||~b| cos
~a ~b = (3 2)
+ (3 1) + (3 3) = 6 + 3 + 9 = 18

|~a||~b| cos = 32 + 32 +32 22 + 12 + 32 cos = 27 14 cos
So we have that: 18 = 27 14 cos
= 22.2
Problem 6
Two vectors are given by: f~ = 4i 3j and ~g = 6i + 8j. a) What is the magnitude of f~ ? b) What
is the angle of f~ relative to i? c) What is the magnitude of ~g ? d) What is the angle of ~g relative
to i? e) What is the magnitude of f~ + ~g ? f) What is the angle of f~ + ~g relative to i? g) What is
the angle between the directions of f~ ~g and ~g f~ ?
SOLUTION:
p

a) |f~| = 42 + (3)2 = 16 + 9 = 25 = 5

b) tan
= fy /fx = 3/4,
= 36.9

c) |~g | = 62 + 82 = 36 + 64 = 100 = 10
d) tan = gy /gx = 8/6, = 53.1

e) |f~ + ~g | = |(4 + 6)i + (3 + 8)j| = |10i + 5j| = 102 + 52 = 125 = 5 5

f) tan = (fy + gy )/(fx + gx ) = 5/10, = 26.6
g) We know that: (f~ ~g ) = (~g f~). These two quantities are vectors that are pointed in opposite
directions. Therefore, the angle between these two quantities is 180 .
Problem 7
A room has dimensions 3 m (height) x 3.7 m x 4.3 m. A fly starting at one corner flies around,
ending up at the diagonally opposite corner. a) What is the magnitude of its displacement? b)
Could the length of the flys path ever be less than this magnitude? If so, when? c) Could the
length of the flys path ever be greater than this magnitude? If so, when? d) Could the length of
the flys path ever be equal to this magnitude? If so, when? e) Choose a suitable coordinate system
and express the components of the displacement vector in that system. f) If the fly walks instead
of flying, what is the length of the shortest path? Hint: The room is like a box. Unfold its walls to
flatten them into a plane.
SOLUTION:

a) We compute the distance from one corner to the diametrically opposite corner: d = 3.02 + 3.72 + 4.32 =
6.42 m.

b) The displacement vector is along the straight line from the beginning to the end point of the trip.
Since a straight line is the shortest distance between two points, the length of the path cannot be
less than the magnitude of the displacement.
c) It can be greater, however. The fly might, for example, crawl along the edges of the room. Its
displacement would be the same but the path length would be: l + w + h.
d) The path length is the same as the magnitude of the displacement if the fly flies along the displacement vector.
e) We take the x axis to be out of the page, the y axis to be to the right, and the z axis to be upward.
Then the x component of the displacement is w = 3.7 m, the y component of the displacement is
An equally correct answer is
4.3 m, and the z component is 3.0 m. Thus d = 3.7i + 4.3j + 3.0k.
gotten by interchanging the length, width, and height.
f) Suppose the path of the fly is as shown by the dotted lines on the diagram below on the left.
Pretend there is a hinge where the front wall of the room joins the floor and lay the wall down as
shown on the lower diagram. The shortest walking distance between the lower left back of the room
and the p
upper right front p
corner is the dotted straight line shown on the diagram. Its length is:
Lmin = (w + h)2 + l2 = (3.7 + 3.0)2 + 4.32 = 7.96 m.

Problem 8
In the following figure, a cube of edge length L sits with one corner at the origin of an xyz coordinate
system. A body diagonal is a line that extends from one corner to another through the center. In
vector notation, what is the body diagonal that extends from the corner at the following coordinates:
a) (0, 0, 0), b) (L, 0, 0), c) (0, L, 0), d) (L, L, 0), e) Determine the angles that the body diagonals
make with the two adjacent edges. f) Determine the length of the body diagonals in terms of a.

SOLUTION:
a) As can be seen from the figure, the point diametrically opposite the origin (0,0,0) has position
vector ai + aj + ak and this is the vector along the body diagonal.
b) From the point (a,0,0) which corresponds to the position vector ai, the diametrically opposite
Thus, the vector along the line is the difference
point is (0,a,a) with position vector aj + ak.

ai + aj + ak.
c) If the starting point is (0,a,0) with the corresponding position vector aj, the diametrically oppo3

 Thus, the vector along the lines is the difference

site point is (a,0,a) with position vector ai + ak.

ai aj + ak.
d) If the starting point is (a,a,0) with the corresponding position vector ai + aj, the diametrically
Thus, the vector along the line is the difference
opposite point is (0,0,a) with the position vector ak.

ai aj + ak.
e) Consider the body diagonal extending from the point (a,0,0) to the point (0,a,a) as shown in the
picture. To find the angle, , thatthis linemakes with each of the edges consider the triangle shown
in red. We have that: tan = a 2/a = 2, = 54.7 . The angle between the body diagonal and
each of the other two adjacent sides is the same as the angle between any of the other diagonal
vectors and any of the cube sides adjacent to
them.

f) The length of the diagonals is given by: a2 + a2 + a2 = a 3.

Problem 9
A rock is dropped from the top of a cliff at a height of 500 meters above the ground. The rocks
height above the ground is recorded at various times during its descent. This data is presented in
the table below. Plot the data in Excel and find a model to describe how the height changes with
time. Print out a graph of your data and the trendline that best fits the data. List the equation
and R2 value. Use your model to predict the time at which the ball hits the ground.
SOLUTION:
See the plot and curve-fit in the figure below. The rock will hit the ground after 10.097 seconds.