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Let hat(a), hat(b) be two unit vectors ...

Let `hat(a), hat(b) ` be two unit vectors and `theta` be the angle between them.
What is `sin ((theta)/(2))` equal to ?

A

`(|hat(a)-hat(b)|)/(2)`

B

`(|hat(a)+hat(b)|)/(2)`

C

`(|hat(i)-hat(b)|)/(4)`

D

`(|hat(a)+hat(b)|)/(4)`

Text Solution

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The correct Answer is:
To solve the problem, we need to find the value of \( \sin\left(\frac{\theta}{2}\right) \) where \( \theta \) is the angle between two unit vectors \( \hat{a} \) and \( \hat{b} \). ### Step-by-Step Solution: 1. **Understanding the Problem**: We have two unit vectors \( \hat{a} \) and \( \hat{b} \) and the angle between them is \( \theta \). We need to express \( \sin\left(\frac{\theta}{2}\right) \) in terms of the vectors. 2. **Using the Dot Product**: The dot product of two vectors \( \hat{a} \) and \( \hat{b} \) can be expressed as: \[ \hat{a} \cdot \hat{b} = |\hat{a}| |\hat{b}| \cos(\theta) \] Since both vectors are unit vectors, we have: \[ \hat{a} \cdot \hat{b} = 1 \cdot 1 \cdot \cos(\theta) = \cos(\theta) \] 3. **Finding the Magnitude of \( \hat{a} - \hat{b} \)**: We can find the magnitude of the vector \( \hat{a} - \hat{b} \): \[ |\hat{a} - \hat{b}|^2 = (\hat{a} - \hat{b}) \cdot (\hat{a} - \hat{b}) \] Expanding this, we get: \[ |\hat{a}|^2 - 2(\hat{a} \cdot \hat{b}) + |\hat{b}|^2 \] Since \( |\hat{a}|^2 = 1 \) and \( |\hat{b}|^2 = 1 \), we have: \[ |\hat{a} - \hat{b}|^2 = 1 - 2\cos(\theta) + 1 = 2 - 2\cos(\theta) = 2(1 - \cos(\theta)) \] 4. **Using the Half-Angle Identity**: We know from trigonometric identities that: \[ 1 - \cos(\theta) = 2\sin^2\left(\frac{\theta}{2}\right) \] Therefore, we can substitute this into our expression for \( |\hat{a} - \hat{b}|^2 \): \[ |\hat{a} - \hat{b}|^2 = 2(2\sin^2\left(\frac{\theta}{2}\right)) = 4\sin^2\left(\frac{\theta}{2}\right) \] 5. **Taking the Square Root**: Taking the square root of both sides gives us: \[ |\hat{a} - \hat{b}| = 2\sin\left(\frac{\theta}{2}\right) \] 6. **Solving for \( \sin\left(\frac{\theta}{2}\right) \)**: Rearranging the equation, we find: \[ \sin\left(\frac{\theta}{2}\right) = \frac{|\hat{a} - \hat{b}|}{2} \] ### Final Result: Thus, we conclude that: \[ \sin\left(\frac{\theta}{2}\right) = \frac{|\hat{a} - \hat{b}|}{2} \]

To solve the problem, we need to find the value of \( \sin\left(\frac{\theta}{2}\right) \) where \( \theta \) is the angle between two unit vectors \( \hat{a} \) and \( \hat{b} \). ### Step-by-Step Solution: 1. **Understanding the Problem**: We have two unit vectors \( \hat{a} \) and \( \hat{b} \) and the angle between them is \( \theta \). We need to express \( \sin\left(\frac{\theta}{2}\right) \) in terms of the vectors. 2. **Using the Dot Product**: ...
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