Exercise 5C

1 For each problem, calculate the vector product in the bracket first and then perform the scalar product
on the answer.

If then a is perpendicular to b × c.
This means that a is parallel to the plane containing b and c (in fact =
a 1
8 b + 83 c ).

i j k
 
3 AB × AD = 3 0 1 =−2i + j + 6k
1 2 0
  
( )
Volume of the parallelepiped = | AE. AB × AD | = | (i + j + 3k ).(−2i + j + 6k ) |

Alternatively,

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4 Let the vertices A, B, D and E have position vectors a, b, d and e respectively.

AB = b − a = 4i − 2k

AD = d − a = 3i + 2 j − k

AE = e − a = 3i + j + k
Using the scalar triple product
3 1 1
  
( )
AE. AB × AD = 4 0 −2 = 3(0 + 4) − 1(−4 + 6) + 1(8 − 0) = 12 − 2 + 8 = 18
3 2 −1
  
So volume of parallelpiped = AE. AB × AD = ( 18 )
5 Let the vertices A, B, C and D have position vectors a, b, c and d respectively.

AB = b − a = 3i + j + k

AC =c − a = j − 2k

AD = d − a = 2i − j + k
3 1 1
  
( )
AB. AC × AD =0 1 −2 = 3(1 − 2) − 1(0 + 4) + 1(0 − 2) =−9
2 −1 1
1    9 3
Volume of tetrahedron =AB. AC × AD ==
6
( 6 2
)
6 a Let the vertices A, B, C and D have position vectors a, b, c and d respectively.

BC = c − b =−2i + 2 j + k

BD = d − b = 2 j + 2k
i j k
 
BC × BD = −2 2 1 =2i + 4 j − 4k
0 2 2
1   1 2 2 2 36
Area of face BCD= BC × BD = 2 + 4 + (−4)= = 3
2 2 2
 
b The normal to the face BCD is in the direction of BC × BD, i.e. in the direction 2i + 4 j − 4k

As
The unit vector normal to the face is 16 (2i + 4 j − 4k ) = 1
3 (i + 2 j − 2k )
Multiplying by –1 also gives a vector normal to the face BCD, so − 13 (i + 2 j − 2k ) is a solution.

c BA =a − b =−i + 3 j − k
  
( )
BA. BC × BD =(−i + 3 j − k ).(2i + 4 j − 4k ) =−2 + 12 + 4 =14
  
Volume of tetrahedron = 6 AB. AC × AD ==
1
( 14
6
7
3 )

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7 a Let the vertices A, B, C and D have position vectors a, b, c and d respectively. (Note a = 0.)
Now find the length of all edges, as a tetrahedron is regular if all of its edges are the same length.
 
AB = b − a = b, so AB = 2
 
( 3)
2
AC = c − a = c, so AC = 12 + =2
2 2
   3 2 6 3 24
AD = d − a = d, so AD = 12 +   +   = 1 + + =2
 3   3  9 9
 
( )
2
BC =c − b =− i + 3 j, so BC = (−1) 2 + 3 =2
2 2
 3 2 6   3 2 6 3 24
BD =d − b =− i + j+ k , so BD = (−1) 2 +   +   = 1+ + = 2
3 3  3   3  9 9
2 2
 −2 3 2 6   −2 3   2 6  4 8
CD = d − c = j+ k , so CD =   +   = + =2
3 3  3   3  3 3

All 6 edges have the same length and so the tetrahedron is regular.

2 0 0
   2 6 3 4 18
(
b AB. AC × AD = ) 1 3 0 = 2
3
=
3
= 4 2
3 2 6
1
3 3
1    4 2 2 2
Volume of tetrahedron = AB. AC × AD =
6
(
6
=
3
)

8 a AB =−( i + j + 2k ) − (i + 2 j − k ) =−2i − j + 3k

AC = (2i − j + k ) − (i + 2 j − k ) = i − 3 j + 2k
i j k
 
AB × AC = −2 −1 3 =7i + 7 j + 7k
1 −3 2

1   1 2 2 2 147 7 3

b Area of triangle ABC
= | AB × AC=| 7 + 7 + 7= =
2 2 2 2
  
( )
c AO. AB × AC =(−i − 2 j + k ).(7i + 7 j + 7k ) =−7 − 14 + 7 =−14
1    14 7
Volume of tetrahedron = AO. AB × AC = =
6
( 6 3
)

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  
9 a AB = b − a =−
i 2j + k, BC =c − b =−3i − j − 2k
i j k
 
AB × BC = 1 −2 1 = 5i − j − 7k
−3 −1 −2
 
BD =d − b =−i + 2k , DC =c − d =−2i − j − 4k
i j k
 
BD × DC = −1 0 2 =2i − 8 j + k
−2 −1 −4
       
b i AB × BC = − BA × BC ⇒ | AB × BC | = | BA × BC |
1    
So area of triangle ABC = | BA × BC | = | AB × BC |
2
1 1
= | −5i + j + 7k | = 25 + 1 + 49
2 2
1 5 3
= = 75
2 2
       
b ii AB × BC = − BA × BC ⇒ BA × BC = − AB × BC
  
( )
BD. BA × BC = (−i + 2k ).(−5i + j + 7k ) = 5 + 14 = 19
1    19
So volume of tetrahedron ABCD
= BD.( BA × BC= )
6 6

10 a

   

As= a 2(b × c), OP is perpendicular to OQ and to OR , i.e. OP is perpendicular to the
plane OQR.

b | OP | = | a | = 22 + 42 = 20 = 2 5

Area of OQR

Volume of tetrahedron

c Using the scalar triple product:

2 4 0
a.(b × c) = 2 −1 3 = 2(−5 + 6) − 4(10 − 12) = 2 + 8 = 10
4 −2 5

is 6 × volume of tetrahedron (from part b), so result verified.

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   
11 a The volume of the parallelepiped
= (
AB. BD × BC )
1   
The volume of the tetrahedron
= EC . ( EM × NC )
6
Now from the diagram:
 
EC = AB
 1 
EM = BD
2
  
NC
= NB + BC

Using these results and the fact that both the vector product and the scalar product are distributive
over vector addition, this gives:
1    
Volume of the tetrahedron
=
12
( (
AB. BD × NB + BC ))
1     
=
12
(( ) (
AB. BD × NB + BD × BC ))
as vector product distributive

1      

=
12
(
AB. BD × NB + AB. BD × BC ) ( )
as scalar product distributive
     
But BD × NB is perpendicular to AB so AB. BD × NB = (
0 )
1   
So the expression for the volume of the tetrahedron simplifies to
12
AB. BD × BC ( )
Hence the ratio of the two volumes is 12 :1

b The ratio remains unchanged since the argument in part a does not use any data about N other
than it lies on the line AB.

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12 Split the pyramid into two tetrahedrons AEDB and CEDB so the volume of the pyramid is just the
combined volume of the two tetrahedrons.
  
AD =i + 2k , AB =i + 2 j + k , AE =4i + k

1 0 2
  
(
AD. AB × AE = )
1 2 1 =−
2 16 =
−14
4 0 1

1 14 7
Volume of AEDB = = −14 = =
6 6 3
  
CB =−i − 2k , CD =−i − 2 j − k , CE =2i − 2 j − 2k

−1 0 −2
  
( )
CB. CD × CE =−1 −2 −1 =−2 − 12 =−14
2 −2 −2

1 14 7
Volume of CEDB = = −14 = =
6 6 3

Hence the combined volume

Challenge
a Let

a1 a2 a3
a.(b ×=
c) b1 b3 a1 (b2 c3 − b3c2 ) − a2 (b1c3 − b3c1 ) + a3 (b1c2 − b2 c1 )
b2 =
c1 c2 c3
= a1 (b2 c3 − b3c2 ) + a2 (b3c1 − b1c3 ) + a3 (b1c2 − b2 c1 )

So

b applying part a

c Since the equality holds for any choice of vector d, it follows that a × (b + c) = a ×b + a ×c

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