If the magnitude of the sum of two non-zero vectors and is equal to the magnitude of their difference, what is the angle between the vectors and ?
Options
Explanation
Let the two non-zero vectors be and , and let be the angle between them.
The magnitude of the sum of the two vectors is given by:
The magnitude of the difference of the two vectors is given by:
According to the problem statement, the magnitude of their sum is equal to the magnitude of their difference:
Squaring both sides to remove the square roots:
Now, simplify the equation:
Subtract from both sides:
Add to both sides:
Since and are non-zero vectors, their magnitudes and are not zero. Therefore, for the product to be zero, must be zero.
The angle for which is (or radians).
Let's analyze why other options are incorrect:
- If , then . The equation becomes , which implies or , contradicting the condition that they are non-zero vectors.
- If , then . The equation becomes , which again implies or .
- If , then . The equation becomes , which also implies or .
Thus, the only valid angle for non-zero vectors is .
The final answer is .