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14. Find the scalar \( t \) (or show that there is none) so that the vector \( \boldsymbol{v}=t \boldsymbol{i}-2 t \boldsymbol{j}+3 t \boldsymbol{k} \) is a unit vector.

Ask by Gross Wang. in Mongolia
Mar 11,2025

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Answer

The scalar \( t \) can be either \( \frac{1}{\sqrt{14}} \) or \( -\frac{1}{\sqrt{14}} \).

Solution

We begin with the vector \[ \boldsymbol{v} = t \boldsymbol{i} - 2t \boldsymbol{j} + 3t \boldsymbol{k}. \] This can be written in component form as \[ \boldsymbol{v} = \langle t, -2t, 3t \rangle. \] The magnitude of \(\boldsymbol{v}\) is given by \[ \|\boldsymbol{v}\| = \sqrt{t^2 + (-2t)^2 + (3t)^2}. \] Calculate each term inside the square root: \[ t^2 + (2t)^2 + (3t)^2 = t^2 + 4t^2 + 9t^2 = 14t^2. \] Thus, the magnitude becomes \[ \|\boldsymbol{v}\| = \sqrt{14t^2} = \sqrt{14} \, |t|. \] Since \(\boldsymbol{v}\) is required to be a unit vector, we set \(\|\boldsymbol{v}\| = 1\): \[ \sqrt{14} \, |t| = 1. \] Divide both sides of the equation by \(\sqrt{14}\): \[ |t| = \frac{1}{\sqrt{14}}. \] Therefore, the scalar \( t \) can be either positive or negative: \[ t = \frac{1}{\sqrt{14}} \quad \text{or} \quad t = -\frac{1}{\sqrt{14}}. \]

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The Deep Dive

A unit vector is defined as a vector with a magnitude of 1. To find the scalar \( t \) for the vector \( \boldsymbol{v} = t \boldsymbol{i} - 2t \boldsymbol{j} + 3t \boldsymbol{k} \) to be a unit vector, we need to set the magnitude of \( \boldsymbol{v} \) equal to 1. The magnitude of \( \boldsymbol{v} \) can be calculated using the formula: \[ |\boldsymbol{v}| = \sqrt{t^2 + (-2t)^2 + (3t)^2} \] Calculating this gives us: \[ |\boldsymbol{v}| = \sqrt{t^2 + 4t^2 + 9t^2} = \sqrt{14t^2} = \sqrt{14} |t| \] Setting this equal to 1, we have: \[ \sqrt{14} |t| = 1 \] Now we can solve for \( |t| \): \[ |t| = \frac{1}{\sqrt{14}} \quad \Rightarrow \quad t = \pm \frac{1}{\sqrt{14}} \] Thus, there are two possible values for \( t \) that will make \( \boldsymbol{v} \) a unit vector: \[ t = \frac{1}{\sqrt{14}} \quad \text{or} \quad t = -\frac{1}{\sqrt{14}} \]

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