Question Details

It is found that |A+B|=|A|.This necessarily implies,

Options

A

B = 0

B

A,B are antiparallel

C

A,B are perpendicular

D

A.B ≤ 0

Correct Answer :

A,B are antiparallel

Solution :

The correct option is A,B are antiparallel.

To understand why this relation holds, let us analyze the given vector equation:
| A + B | = | A |

Squaring both sides of the equation to eliminate the absolute value (magnitude) signs, we get:
| A + B | 2 = | A | 2

Using the vector identity for the square of a sum of two vectors, we can expand the left side as:
A 2 + B 2 + 2 A · B = A 2
where A and B represent the magnitudes of vectors A and B respectively.

Subtracting A2 from both sides simplifies the equation to:
B 2 + 2 A · B = 0

We can rewrite the dot product A·B as ABcosθ, where θ is the angle between the two vectors:
B 2 + 2 A B cosθ = 0

Assuming B0, we can divide the entire equation by B:
B + 2 A cosθ = 0

Solving for cosθ:
cosθ = - B 2 A

Since magnitudes A and B are positive values, the ratio B2A is positive, which means cosθ is negative. In particular, when the magnitude of vector B is exactly twice the magnitude of vector A (i.e., B=2A), we get:
cosθ = - 1
This corresponds to an angle of θ=180°, meaning that the vectors A and B are antiparallel to each other.

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