The length of the projection of \(\vec{a} = 2\hat{i} + 3\hat{j} + \hat{k}\) on \(\vec{b} = -2\hat{i} + \hat{j} + 2\hat{k}\), is equal to:
Step-by-step Solution:
Correct Answer: A ($\frac{1}{3}$)
The length of the projection of one vector onto another, also known as the scalar projection, is found by calculating the dot product of the two vectors and dividing by the magnitude of the vector being projected onto.
The length of the projection of a vector $\vec{a}$ onto a vector $\vec{b}$ is given by the formula:
$$ \text{Length} = \frac{\vec{a} \cdot \vec{b}}{|\vec{b}|} $$
We need to calculate the dot product ($\vec{a} \cdot \vec{b}$) and the magnitude of $\vec{b}$ ($|\vec{b}|$).
The given vectors are:
The dot product is calculated as follows:
$\vec{a} \cdot \vec{b} = (2)(-2) + (3)(1) + (1)(2)$
$\vec{a} \cdot \vec{b} = -4 + 3 + 2 = 1$
The magnitude of vector $\vec{b}$ is calculated as:
$|\vec{b}| = \sqrt{(-2)^2 + (1)^2 + (2)^2}$
$|\vec{b}| = \sqrt{4 + 1 + 4} = \sqrt{9} = 3$
Now we substitute the values from the previous steps into the formula:
$$ \text{Length} = \frac{\vec{a} \cdot \vec{b}}{|\vec{b}|} = \frac{1}{3} $$