Linear Algebra : Matrices

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Linear Algebra

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Example Questions

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Example Question #43 : Vector Vector Product

A parallelogram has these two vectors as sides. Find  so that the parallelogram is a rectangle. 

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

For the parallelogram formed by  and  to be a rectangle, the vectors must be perpendicular - that is, orthogonal, This is true if and only if .

The dot product of the vectors can be found by adding the products of corresponding entries:

Set equal to 0 and solve for :

.

Example Question #41 : Vector Vector Product

Find a value of  (nearest tenth) so that  and  are the sides of a parallelogram of area 100. 

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The area of a parallelogram with sides  and  in  is the norm of their cross-product:

To find the cross-product, take the "determinant" of the matrix formed from the entries of the vectors, as follows

where .

Find this "determinant" as you would a numeric determinant - add the upper-left to lower-right products, and subtract the upper-right to lower-left products. 

              

The norm is the result of adding the squares of the entries, and taking the square root. In terms of , this is 

Set this equal to 100:

Through the quadratic formula:

After calculation, we get solutions 

.

All of the choices are positive, so select 26.4. 

Example Question #171 : Matrices

A parallelogram in has as two of its sides the vectors

and

.

Which statement is true of the parallelogram?

Possible Answers:

The parallelogram is a rectangle, but not a rhombus.

The parallelogram is a square.

The parallelogram is neither a rectangle nor a rhombus.

The parallelogram is a rhombus, but not a rectangle.

Correct answer:

The parallelogram is a rhombus, but not a rectangle.

Explanation:

The parallelogram is a rectangle if and only if the two vectors that form the adjacent sides are perpendicular - that is, orthogonal. This happens if the dot product - the sum of the products of elements in corresponding positions - is equal to 0. Test this:

The parallelogram is not a rectangle.

The parallelogram is a rhombus if and only if the two vectors that form the adjacent sides are of equal lenght - that is, if their norms are equal. The norm of a vector is the square root of the sum of the squares of its elements, so:

, so the parallelogram is a rhombus.

Example Question #46 : Vector Vector Product

Calculate the angle between and (nearest degree).

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The angle between two vectors and is , where

The dot product of two vectors is the sum of the products of their corresponding entries:

The norm of a vector is the square root of the squares of its entries:

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