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# Let the vectors vector a b c be given as a1 i plus a2 j plus

Q7  Let the vectors $\vec a , \vec b , \vec c$  be given as $\vec a_1 \hat i + \vec a_2 \hat j + \vec a_3 \hat k , \vec b_ 1 \hat i + \vec b_ 2 \hat j + \vec b_3 \hat k , \vec c_ 1 \hat i + \vec c_ 2 \hat j + \vec c_ 3 \hat k$   Then show that $\vec a \times ( \vec b + \vec c ) = \vec a \times \vec b + \vec a \times \vec c$

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$\\\vec a=\vec a_1 \hat i + \vec a_2 \hat j + \vec a_3 \hat k , \\\vec b=\vec b_ 1 \hat i + \vec b_ 2 \hat j + \vec b_3 \hat k , \\\vec c=\vec c_ 1 \hat i + \vec c_ 2 \hat j + \vec c_ 3 \hat k$

We need to show that $\vec a \times ( \vec b + \vec c ) = \vec a \times \vec b + \vec a \times \vec c$

Now,

$\vec a \times ( \vec b + \vec c ) =(\vec a_1 \hat i + \vec a_2 \hat j + \vec a_3 \hat k)\times(\vec b_ 1 \hat i + \vec b_ 2 \hat j + \vec b_3 \hat k +\vec c_ 1 \hat i + \vec c_ 2 \hat j + \vec c_ 3 \hat k)$

$=(\vec a_1 \hat i + \vec a_2 \hat j + \vec a_3 \hat k)\times((\vec b_ 1+\vec c_1) \hat i + (\vec b_ 2+\vec c_2) \hat j +( \vec b_3 +\vec c_3)\hat k)$

$=\begin{vmatrix} \hat i &\hat j &\hat k \\ a_1&a_2 &a_3 \\ (b_1+c_1)&(b_2+c_2) &(b_3+c_3) \end{vmatrix}$

$\\=\hat i(a_2(b_3+c_3)-a_3(b_2+c_2))-\hat j(a_1(b_3+c_3)- a_3(b_1+c_1))+\hat k (a_1(b_2+c_2)-a_2(a_1(b_2+c_3)))$

$\\=\hat i(a_2(b_3+c_3)-a_3(b_2+c_2))-\hat j(a_1(b_3+c_3)-a_3(b_1+c_1))+\hat k (a_1(b_2+c_2)-a_2(a_1(b_2+c_3)))$

Now

$\vec a \times \vec b + \vec a \times \vec c=\begin{vmatrix} \hat i &\hat j & \hat k\\ a_1&a_2 &a_3 \\ b_1&b_2 &b_3 \end{vmatrix}+\begin{vmatrix} \hat i &\hat j & \hat k\\ a_1&a_2 &a_3 \\ c_1&c_2 &c_3 \end{vmatrix}$

$\vec a \times \vec b + \vec a \times \vec c=\hat i(a_2b_3-a_3b_2)-\hat j (a_1b_3-a_3b_1)+\hat k(a_1b_2-b_1a_2)+\hat i(a_2c_3-a_3c_2)-\hat j (a_1c_3-a_3c_1)+\hat k(a_1c_2-c_1a_2)$

$\\=\hat i(a_2(b_3+c_3)-a_3(b_2+c_2))-\hat j(a_1(b_3+c_3)-a_3(b_1+c_1))+\hat k (a_1(b_2+c_2)-a_2(a_1(b_2+c_3)))$

Hence they are equal.

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