Show that (a⃗ - b⃗) × (a⃗ + b⃗) = 2(a⃗ × b⃗).
Let and . We need to evaluate the Left Hand Side (LHS) expression .
First, we determine the component forms of the vectors involved using the rules for vector addition and subtraction provided in the context. We have and .
Next, we compute the cross product using the determinant form. The expression becomes:
Expanding this determinant, we get: .
Simplifying the coefficients algebraically, for we get . Similarly, for we get and for we get . Substituting these back, the expression becomes:
.
From the context, the term inside the bracket is exactly the expansion of . Therefore, LHS = , which equals the Right Hand Side (RHS). Hence proved.
Explanation
The solution strictly follows the component form and determinant method for cross product provided in the context. Since the distributive property of cross products was not explicitly included in the retrieved text chunks, the proof relies on expanding the vectors into their components () and performing the cross product calculation using the determinant notation. This method is robust and aligns perfectly with the provided textbook examples.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Define vectors and in component form and write expressions for and .
Step 2: Set up the cross product determinant using the components derived in Step 1.
Step 3: Expand the determinant to find the coefficients of .
Step 4: Simplify the algebraic expressions for the coefficients.
Step 5: Factor out the scalar '2' and recognize the remaining term as .