If is a unit vector, and and are also unit vectors, which of the following is always true about the dot products and ?
Table of contents
- 0. Review of College Algebra4h 45m
- 1. Measuring Angles40m
- 2. Trigonometric Functions on Right Triangles2h 5m
- 3. Unit Circle1h 19m
- 4. Graphing Trigonometric Functions1h 19m
- 5. Inverse Trigonometric Functions and Basic Trigonometric Equations1h 41m
- 6. Trigonometric Identities and More Equations2h 34m
- 7. Non-Right Triangles1h 38m
- 8. Vectors2h 25m
- 9. Polar Equations2h 5m
- 10. Parametric Equations1h 6m
- 11. Graphing Complex Numbers1h 7m
8. Vectors
Dot Product
Problem 25
Textbook Question
In Exercises 23–32, use the dot product to determine whether v and w are orthogonal.
v = 2i + 8j, w = 4i - j
Verified step by step guidance1
Recall that two vectors \( \mathbf{v} \) and \( \mathbf{w} \) are orthogonal if and only if their dot product is zero, i.e., \( \mathbf{v} \cdot \mathbf{w} = 0 \).
Write down the components of the vectors: \( \mathbf{v} = 2\mathbf{i} + 8\mathbf{j} \) means \( \mathbf{v} = (2, 8) \), and \( \mathbf{w} = 4\mathbf{i} - \mathbf{j} \) means \( \mathbf{w} = (4, -1) \).
Calculate the dot product using the formula \( \mathbf{v} \cdot \mathbf{w} = v_1 w_1 + v_2 w_2 \), where \( v_1, v_2 \) are components of \( \mathbf{v} \) and \( w_1, w_2 \) are components of \( \mathbf{w} \).
Substitute the values: \( \mathbf{v} \cdot \mathbf{w} = (2)(4) + (8)(-1) \).
Evaluate the expression to check if the dot product equals zero. If it does, the vectors are orthogonal; if not, they are not orthogonal.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Dot Product of Vectors
The dot product is an algebraic operation that takes two vectors and returns a scalar. It is calculated by multiplying corresponding components of the vectors and summing the results. For vectors v = (v1, v2) and w = (w1, w2), the dot product is v1*w1 + v2*w2.
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Introduction to Dot Product
Orthogonality of Vectors
Two vectors are orthogonal if their dot product equals zero. This means the vectors are perpendicular to each other in the plane or space. Checking orthogonality involves computing the dot product and verifying if the result is zero.
Recommended video:
Introduction to Vectors
Vector Components and Notation
Vectors can be expressed in terms of unit vectors i and j, representing the x and y directions respectively. For example, v = 2i + 8j corresponds to the vector (2, 8). Understanding this notation helps in performing operations like the dot product.
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i & j Notation
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