Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Precalculus, Chapter 6, 6.4, Section 6.4, Problem 32

You need to use the formula of dot product to find the angle between two vectors, u = u_x*i + u_y*j, v = v_x*i + v_y*j , such that:
u*v = |u|*|v|*cos(theta)
The angle between the vectors u and v is theta.
cos theta = (u*v)/(|u|*|v|)
First, you need to evaluate the product of the vectors u and v, such that:
u*v = u_x*v_x + u_y*v_y
u*v = 3*4 + 2*(0)
u*v = 12
You need to evaluate the magnitudes |u| and |v|, such that:
|u|= sqrt(u_x^2 + u_y^2) => |u|= sqrt(3^2 + 2^2) =>|u|= sqrt13
|v|= sqrt(v_x^2 + v_y^2) => |v|= sqrt(4^2 + 0^2) => |v|= 4
cos theta = (12)/(4sqrt13) => cos theta = (3)/(sqrt13)
Hence, the cosine of the angle between the vectors u and v is cos theta = (3)/(sqrt13) , so, theta ~~ 34^o.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Why is the fact that the Americans are helping the Russians important?

In the late author Tom Clancy’s first novel, The Hunt for Red October, the assistance rendered to the Russians by the United States is impor...