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Find the angle between vectors u and v to the nearest degree if u=⟨3,4⟩ and v=⟨−1,−2⟩.

A) 148°
B) 143°
C) 131°
D) 127°

User Laurennmc
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Using the dot product and the magnitudes of the vectors, we calculated the angle between vectors u=⟨3,4⟩ and v=⟨−1,−2⟩. The calculated angle is approximately 12 degrees, which does not match any of the options given in the question. This does not correspond to any of the options A)

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the angle between two vectors u and v, we use the dot product formula and the magnitude of each vector. The dot product of u and v is calculated as follows:

u · v = (3)(-1) + (4)(-2) = -3 - 8 = -11

The magnitude (or length) of vector u is:

||u|| = √(3^2 + 4^2) = √(9 + 16) = √25 = 5

The magnitude of vector v is:

||v|| = √((-1)^2 + (-2)^2) = √(1 + 4) = √5 = √5 ≈ 2.236

Now, to find the angle θ between vectors u and v, we use the formula:

cos(θ) = (u · v) / (||u|| · ||v||)

cos(θ) = -11 / (5 · 2.236) ≈ -0.982

θ = cos^{-1}(-0.982) ≈ 168º

However, we are looking for the smallest angle between the two vectors which is the supplement of 168º. Therefore:

180º - 168º = 12º

The smallest angle between vectors u and v is approximately 12º. This does not correspond to any of the options A) 148º, B) 143º, C) 131º, or D) 127º provided in the question, so please double-check the choices or the initial vectors provided.

User Michael Ochs
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8.9k points