A vector has a magnitude equal to that of and is parallel to . The and components of this vector in the first quadrant are and , respectively. The value of is:
- A
- B
- C
- D
A vector has a magnitude equal to that of and is parallel to . The and components of this vector in the first quadrant are and , respectively. The value of is:
Correct answer:D
Standard Method
Given: A vector has magnitude equal to where , and it is parallel to .
Find: The -component of the required vector in the first quadrant.
First, find the magnitude of :
So, the required vector has magnitude .
Now find the magnitude of :
Hence, the unit vector along is:
Since the required vector is parallel to and lies in the first quadrant, its direction is the same as . Therefore,
Thus, the components are and .
Therefore, the correct option is D.
Using the direction of instead of . The vector only has the same magnitude as , but it is parallel to . Use for magnitude and for direction.
Assuming the required vector is . That vector is also parallel to in a broad sense of collinearity, but it is not in the first quadrant. Both components must be positive here.
Forgetting to convert into a unit vector before scaling. If you directly take as the answer, you may miss the logic that the required vector is magnitude times unit direction. First find , then multiply by .
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