Verified Solution • 2025–26 Session moderate

QJEEM24Ma6421: JEE Main 2024 Physics - Class 11 JEEM24Ma6421 Solution: Let and be two vectors such that and . Then is equal to

Let a⃗\vec{a} and b⃗\vec{b} be two vectors such that ∣b⃗∣=1|\vec{b}|=1 and ∣b⃗×a⃗∣=2|\vec{b} \times \vec{a}|=2 . Then ∣(b⃗×a⃗)−b⃗∣2|(\vec{b} \times \vec{a})-\vec{b}|^2 is equal to

Multiple Choice Options

  • A 1
  • B 3
  • C 5
  • D 4

Step-by-Step Verified Solution

To find the value of ∣(b⃗×a⃗)−b⃗∣2|(\vec{b} \times \vec{a})-\vec{b}|^2 , we can use properties of vector operations and magnitudes. Given ∣b⃗∣=1|\vec{b}| = 1 and ∣b⃗×a⃗∣=2|\vec{b} \times \vec{a}| = 2 , let's break down the calculation step by step:

Firstly, we observe that the cross product of two vectors b⃗×a⃗\vec{b} \times \vec{a} is orthogonal (perpendicular) to both b⃗\vec{b} and a⃗\vec{a} . This means that when we take the dot product of b⃗×a⃗\vec{b} \times \vec{a} with either b⃗\vec{b} or a⃗\vec{a} , the result will be zero due to the orthogonal property. Specifically,

(b⃗×a⃗)⋅b⃗=0(\vec{b} \times \vec{a}) \cdot \vec{b}= 0 (because b⃗×a⃗\vec{b} \times \vec{a} is perpendicular to both b⃗\vec{b} and a⃗\vec{a} )

Next, to find the magnitude squared of the vector (b⃗×a⃗)−b⃗(\vec{b} \times \vec{a}) - \vec{b} , we apply the formula for the magnitude squared of a vector subtraction, which can be expressed as:

∣(b⃗×a⃗)−b⃗∣2=∣b⃗×a⃗∣2+∣−b⃗∣2+2(b⃗×a⃗)⋅(−b⃗)|(\vec{b} \times \vec{a}) - \vec{b}|^2 = |\vec{b} \times \vec{a}|^2 + |-\vec{b}|^2 + 2(\vec{b} \times \vec{a}) \cdot (-\vec{b})

Since (b⃗×a⃗)⋅b⃗=0(\vec{b} \times \vec{a}) \cdot \vec{b} = 0 and ∣−b⃗∣=∣b⃗∣|-\vec{b}| = |\vec{b}| , the equation simplifies to:

=∣b⃗×a⃗∣2+∣b⃗∣2= |\vec{b} \times \vec{a}|^2 + |\vec{b}|^2

Given that ∣b⃗×a⃗∣=2|\vec{b} \times \vec{a}| = 2 and ∣b⃗∣=1|\vec{b}| = 1 , substituting these values gives:

=22+12=4+1=5= 2^2 + 1^2 = 4 + 1 = 5

Therefore, the value of ∣(b⃗×a⃗)−b⃗∣2|(\vec{b} \times \vec{a})-\vec{b}|^2 is 5.

Related Learning Resources & Exam Preparation