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Homework Problems

- The document provides information and homework problems regarding vector cross products and their properties including: the formula for computing cross products, the relationship between cross product magnitude and the angle between vectors, using cross products to find volumes of parallelepipeds, and parametric and symmetric equations for lines. - It also includes optional challenge problems and remarks about how cross products relate to crystal lattices and their diffraction patterns.

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55 views3 pages

Homework Problems

- The document provides information and homework problems regarding vector cross products and their properties including: the formula for computing cross products, the relationship between cross product magnitude and the angle between vectors, using cross products to find volumes of parallelepipeds, and parametric and symmetric equations for lines. - It also includes optional challenge problems and remarks about how cross products relate to crystal lattices and their diffraction patterns.

Uploaded by

ss_nainamohammed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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7/01/2004 CROSS PRODUCT/LINES

Maths21a

This is part 3 (of 3) of the homework which is due July 6 at the beginning of class.
SUMMARY.
~v w
~ = (v2 w3 v3 w2 , v3 w1 v1 w3 , v1 w2 v2 w1 ) cross product.

~i ~j ~k

The following matrix helps to memorize compute the components: v1 v2 v3


.
w1 w2 w3
|~v w|
~ = |~v ||w|
~ sin(), where is the angle between vectors.
This is the area of parallelogram spanned by ~v and w.
~
~v w
~ is orthogonal to ~v and to w
~ with length |~v ||w|
~ sin()
~u (~v w)
~ triple scalar product, signed volume of parallelepiped spanned by ~u, ~v , w.
~
~r(t) = P + t~v parametric equation for a line, P a point, ~v is a vector.

(xx0 )
a

(yy0 )
b

(zz0 )
c

symmetric equation for a line.

Homework Problems
1) (4 points)
a) (2) Find a the cross product w
~ of ~u = (3, 1, 2) and ~v = (2, 2, 3).
b) (1) Find a unit vector ~n orthogonal to ~u and ~v .
c) (1) Find the volume of the parallelepiped spanned by ~u, ~v and w.
~
Solution:
a) ~u ~v = w
~ = (1, 5, 4)

b) |w|
~ = 42, ~n = w/|
~ w|
~ = (1/ 42, 5/ 42, 4/ 42).
c) w
~ (~u ~v ) = w
~ w
~ = |w|
~ 2 = 42.
2) (4 points) a) Verify the identity |~v w|
~ 2 = |~v |2 |w|
~ 2 (~v w)
~ 2 from the lecture.
b) Knowing (~v w)
~ = |~v ||w|
~ cos(), derive |(~v w)|
~ = |~v ||w|
~ sin()

Solution:
a) Direct, but a bit tedious computation. b) Use the identity cos 2 (x) + sin2 (x) = 1.

3) (4 points)
a) If ~u + ~v + w
~ = ~0. Then ~u ~v = ~v w
~ =w
~ ~u.
b) Find (~u + ~v ) (~v w)
~ if ~u, ~v , w
~ are unit vectors which are orthogonal to each other and
~u ~v = w.
~
c) Assume you have a triangle in the plane which has edge points having have integer coordinates. Show that the area of the triangle is an integer or half of an integer.

Solution:
a) Build a triangle with the three vectors u, v, w. Each of the terms in the identity is
twice the area of the triangle.
b) The result is 1.
c) The formula for the area is |(A C) (B C)|/2.
4) (4 points) Given three vectors ~u, ~v , w
~ with V = ~u (~v w)
~ 6= 0. Define three new vectors
~a = (~v w)/V
~
~b = (w
~ ~u)/V
~c = (~u ~v )/V .
Verify that ~a (~b ~c) = 1/V .
Hint. You can use the identity ~b (~u ~v ) = (~b ~v )~u (~b ~u)~v which holds in general. (If
you have time, derive this identity (see challenge problems), but this is not required to get full
credit for this problem).
Solution:
Focus first on (~b ~c) = ~b (~u ~v )/V and use the hint to get (~b ~v )~u/V (~b ~u)~v /V . The
problem asks for the dot product of this with ~a. Now, since ~a is orthogonal to the second
term, we obtain ~a(~b ~v ) ~u/V . When plugging in the definitions of ~a and ~b, we are left
with V 2 /V 3 = 1/V .
5) (4 points)
a) (2) Find the parametric equation for the line which passes through the points P = (1, 2, 3)
and Q = (3, 4, 5).
b) (2) Find the symmetric equation for the same line.
Solution:
a) The vector ~v = (2, 2, 2) connects the two points.
P + t~v = (1, 2, 3) + t(2, 2, 2) = (1 + 2t, 2 + 2t, 3 + 2t).
b) (x 1)/2 = (y 2)/2 = (z 3)/2.

The parametric equation is

Remarks
(You dont need to read these remarks to do the problems.)
To problem 4): three vectors whose triple scalar product does not vanish are called noncoplanar . Adding integer multiples of such vectors form a lattice. The points of the lattice
are all points n~u + m~v + k w,
~ where n, m, k are integers.
The three new vectors ~a, ~b and ~c defined in problem 5) define a new lattice which is called the
reciprocal lattice. Crystallographers also denote them by ~u , ~v and w
~ . What you have

shown in 5) is that the volume V of the unit cells of the reciprocal lattice is the inverse 1/V of
the volume V of the unit cell of the lattice itself. The reciprocal lattice is essential for the study
of crystal lattices and their diffraction properties which can be measured by shooting X-rays
onto them. A convenient way to link the structure of the material to its diffraction pattern is
through the reciprocal lattice.

Challenge Problems
(Solutions to these problems are not turned in with the homework.)
1) Prove the following identity for vectors ~a, ~b, ~c in space:
~a (~b ~c) = (~a ~c)~b (~a ~b)~c
2) Find a general formula for the volume of a tetrahedron with corners P, Q, R, S.
Hint. Find first a formula for the area of one of its triangular faces, and then a formula for the
distance from the fourth point to that face.
~ in the torque satisfies
The change of the angular momentum L
3)

d~ ~ ~
L=L,
dt
~ is the angular velocity vector. Verify that the length
where
~ does not change in time.
of L

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