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Chapter 10

VECTOR ALGEBRA
(1 mark)

1. For what values of , the vectors (2 - 3 ) and ( - 6) are parallel ?

2. Find the position vector of the centroid of a ABC where a , b and c are the position vectors of the
vertices A, B and C respectively.

3. Find position vectors of the points which divides the join of the points 2a - 3b and 3a - 2b externally
in the ratio 2:3.

4. Find the projection of the vector +3 +7k on the vector 7 + 8k.

5. Find the area of the parallelogram whose diagonals are 2 - 3 + 4k and -3 + 4 k.

6. Find the cosine of an acute angle between the vectors 2 - 3 + k and + -2 k.

7. If | a + b | = | a - b | then find the angle between a and b .

8. If | a | = 5, | b | = 13 and | a x b | = 25. Find a . b .

9. Find the position vector of the mid point of the vector joining the points P(2,3,4) and Q(4,1,-2).

10. Find the value of x for which x( + + k ) is a unit vector.

11. If the position vector a of the point (5,n) is such that | a | = 13, find the value of n.

12. If the vector a = 2 - 3 and b = -6 + m are collinear , find the value of m.

13. If a vector makes angles , , with x-axis, y-axis, z-axis respectively, then what is the value of
sin2 + sin2 + sin2 .

14. If | a + b |2 = | a |2 + | b | 2 , what is the angle between a and b ?

15. If a is a unit vector and ( x - a ).( x + a ) = 8 , then find | x |.

SECTION - B(4 Marks)

16. If a unit vector a makes angles with , with and an acute angle with k , then find
3 4
and hence the components of a .

17. Let a , b and c be the three vectors such that | a | = 3, | b | = 4, | c | = 5and each one of them being
perpendicular to the sum of the other two, find |a + b+ c |.
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18. If with reference to right handed system of mutually perpendicular unit vectors , and k, = 3
, = 2 + -3 k, then express in the form of = 1 + 2 where 1 is parallel to and 2 is
perpendicular to .

19. Let a = + 4 +2k , b = 3 - 2 + 7k and c = 2 + 4k . Find a vector d which is perpendicular to

both a and b and c . d = 15.

20. If a , b and c are the position vectors of the vertices A,B and C of a ABC. Show that the area of the
ABC is 1 |a x b + b x c + c x a |. Also find the condition of the collinearity of these points.
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21. If a , b , and c represents the vectors BC, CA and AB of a ABC, then show that
a x b= b x c= c x a
Hence deduce sine formula for a triangle.

22. If a , b and c are vectors such that a . b = a . c , a x b = a x c and |a | = 0 then prove that b = c .

23. Three vertices of a triangle are A(0,-1,-2) , B(3,1,4) and C(5,7,1). Show that it is a right angled
triangle. Also find the other two angles.

24. If a x b = c x d and a x c = b x d , show that a - d is parallel to b - c where a = d

and b = c.

25. If a , b , and c are three mutually perpendicular vectors of equal magnitude, prove that a + b +c is
equally inclined with vectors a , b and c.

26. Show that the angle between two diagonals of a cube is cos-1 1 .
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27. If a , b and c are three non zero vectors such that a x b = c and b x c = a prove that a , b , c
are mutually at right angles and | b | = 1 and | c | = | a |.

28. If a , b and c be unit vectors such that a . b = a . c = 0 and the angle between b and c is
, prove that a = 2( b x c ).
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29. If the sum of two unit vectors is a unit vector, show that magnitude of their difference is 3 .

30. If a and b are unit vectors and is the angle between them, then show that sin = 1 | a - b |.
2 2

ANSWERS
VECTOR ALGEBRA

1) = 4. 2) 1 ( a + b + c ) 3) -5b
3

4) 60 units 5) 3 30 sq. units 6) cos-1 3

114 2 221
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7) 90 8)60 9) 3 + 2 + k

10) 1 11) n = 12 12) m = 9

3

13) 2 14) 90 15) 3

16) ; 1 , 1 , 1 17) 52
3 2 2 2

18) 1 = 3 1 and 2 = 1 + 3 3k 19) 1(160 - 5 +70 k )

2 2 2 2 3

20) b x c + c x a + a x b = 0 23) 45 , 45

ANSWERS

VECTOR ALGEBRA

1) = 4. 2) 1 ( a + b + c ) 3) -5b
3

4) 60 units 5) 3 30 sq. units 6) cos-1 3

114 2 221

7) 90 8)60 9) 3 + 2 + k

10) 1 11) n = 12 12) m = 9

3

13) 2 14) 90 15) 3

16) ; 1 , 1 , 1 17) 52
3 2 2 2

18) 1 = 3 1 and 2 = 1 + 3 3k 19) 1(160 - 5 +70 k )

2 2 2 2 3

20) b x c + c x a + a x b = 0 23) 45 , 45

Three Dimensional Geometry

1) r = (5 + 2-4 k ) + (3 + 2- 8k ) 2) 6
29

3) cos-1 53 4) 60 5) 3x - 5y + 4z 25 = 0
21
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6) 13 units 8) -3x + 6y + 4z = 12 9) m = -2
7

10) = 5 11) 10 12) x z + 2 = 0

59

13) r = + 2 + 3k + (-3 + 5 + 4 k ) 14) r .( 3 + k ) = - 4

15) (0,-1,-3) 16) (1,0,7) 20) (4,0,-1)

21) r .( -2 + 4 + 4k ) + 6 = 0 or 22) 2x 5y -16z +13 = 0

r . (4 + 2 -4 k ) + 6 = 0

24) x-5 = y 7 = z-3 , 14 units 26)(2,5,7) , 53 units

2 3 6 x-3 = y + 1 = z-11
-1 6 -4
27) 1 unit