By evaluating their dot product, find the values of the scalar s for which the two vectors b = x + s'Sr and c = x sS7 are orthogonal. (Remember that two vectors are orthogonal if and only if their dot product is zero.) Explain your answers with a sketch.
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Textbook Solutions for Classical Mechanics
Question
(a) Defining the scalar product \(\mathbf{r}\cdot\mathbf{s}\) by Equation (1.7), \(\mathbf{r}\cdot\mathbf{s}=\sum_{ }^{ }r_is_i\), show that Pythagoras's theorem implies that the magnitude of any vector \(\mathbf{r}\) is \(r=\sqrt{\mathbf{r}\cdot\mathbf{r}}\). (b) It is clear that the length of a vector does not depend on our choice of coordinate axes. Thus the result of part (a) guarantees that the scalar product \(\mathbf{r}\cdot\mathbf{r}\), as defined by (1.7), is the same for any choice of orthogonal axes. Use this to prove that \(\mathbf{r}\cdot\mathbf{s}\), as defined by (1.7), is the same for any choice of orthogonal axes. [Hint: Consider the length of the vector \(\mathbf{r}+\mathbf{s}\)]
Solution
Step 1 of 2
Applying Pythagorean theorem
a) Consider the two dimensional case
From the definition
Where
is the magnitude of
Now, since we are dealing with an orthogonal coordinate frame, adding another coordinate is just using Pythagoras theorem between the new coordinate and all of the rest combined, giving that the sum of squares of components is equal to the length squared.
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