MATH 123
Vectors and Geometry
Module 1: Exercise 2
1. The position vectors of the points A, B, C, D are a, b, 3a + b, −a + 2b
respectively. Express in terms of a, b the vectors AB, AC, AD, BC, BD
and CD.
2. The position vectors of the points A, B, C, D are a, b, 3a − b, a + b respec-
tively. Show that CD is parallel to AB and find the ratio |AB| : |CD|.
3. If a, b are the position vectors of A, B respectively, find that of a point
C in AB produced such that AC = 3AB; and that of a point D in BA
produced such that BD = 2BA.
4. ABC is a triangle and X, Y and Z are the midpoints of AB, BC and CA
respectively. If BC = a and CA = b,
(i) find AY, BZ and CX in terms of a and b, and
(ii) show that AY + BZ + CX = 0.
5. G and G′ are the centroids of the two triangles ABC and A′ B ′ C ′ . Show
that
AA′ + BB′ + CC′ = 3GG′ .
6. The points D, E and F divide the sides BC, CA and AB of a triangle in
the ratio 1 : 4, 3 : 2 and 3 : 7 respectively. Show that there exists a point
G such that the sum of the vectors AD, BE, CF is parallel to CG. What
is the ratio in which G divides AB?
7. ABCD is a quadrilateral. The midpoints of AB, BC, CD and DA are
P, Q, R and S, respectively. Show that:
(a) SP = 21 DB,
(b) RQ = 12 DB.
Prove that P QRS is a parallelogram.
8. ABCD is a trapezium such that DC = 3AB. If L and M are the mid-
points of AD and BC respectively, show that LM = 2AB.
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9. ABCD is a parallelogram. The point P lies on AD and is such that AP :
PD = 1 : 2, and the point Q lies on BD and is such that BQ : QD = 2 : 1.
Show that P Q is parallel to AC.
10. The diagonals AC and BD of a quadrilateral ABCD intersect at a point
P such that AP : PC = 5 : 2 and BP : PD = 4 : 3. Show that
3b − 2a 5c − 4d
= ,
3−2 5−4
where a, b, c and d are the position vectors of A, B, C and D respectively.
Explain the geometrical significance of this result.
11. Prove that the line joining the midpoint of a median to a vertex of the
triangle trisects the side opposite the vertex considered.
12. A line from a vertex of a triangle trisects the opposite side. If it intersects
a similar line from another vertex, find in what ratio the two lines intersect
one another.
13. AM is a median of the triangle ABC and D is a point in AC such that
AM and BD meet at the point P where BP : P D = 3 : 1. Calculate the
ratios AD : DC and AP : P M .
14. In a parallelogram ABCD, P divides AB in the ratio 2 : 5 and Q divides
DC in the ratio 3 : 2. If AC and P Q intersect at R, find the ratios
|AR| : |RC| and |P R| : |RQ|.
15. ABCD is a parallelogram and E is the midpoint of AB. Prove that DE
and AC trisect each other.
16. ABCD is a parallelogram. If E and F are the midpoints of the sides AB
and BC, show that DE and DF trisect the diagonal AC.
17. ABCD is a parallelogram; P and Q are any two points on a line parallel
to AB. If P A and QB meet at R, P D and QC meet at S, prove that RS
is parallel to AD.
18. ABCD is a plane quadrilateral and E is any point on AD. EF is drawn
parallel to DB to meet AB in F , and EG is drawn parallel to DC to meet
AC in G. Prove that F G is parallel to BC.
19. D and E are any two points on the sides AB and AC respectively of the
triangle ABC. DG drawn parallel to BE meets AC in G and EF drawn
parallel to CD meets AB in F . Prove that F G is parallel to BC.
20. Prove that the points with position vectors a + 2b, 2a − b, and 3a − 4b
are collinear.
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21. If a and b are two non-parallel vectors and the position vectors of P , Q
and R are
1 3
a + 2b, a + b, and λa + b,
2 4
find the value of λ if P , Q and R lie on a straight line.
22. The position vectors of the non-collinear points A, B, C are a, b, c re-
spectively. E lies on BC, with
|BE| 2
= ,
|EC| 3
F lies on CA with
|CF | 1
= ,
|F A| 4
and G lies on AB produced with
|GB| 1
= .
|GA| 6
Determine the position vectors of E, F , G in terms of a, b, c and deduce
that E, F , G lie on a straight line.
23. E and F are points of the sides AD, BC of a quadrilateral ABCD such
that
AE = k ED and BF = k F C.
If P , Q, R are the midpoints of AB, EF , DC respectively, show that P ,
Q, and R are collinear and that P Q = k QR.
24. ABC is an equilateral triangle of side 3 units. The points P , Q lie on BC,
CA respectively and are such that AQ = CP = 2 units. If the point R lies
on AB produced so that BR = 1 unit, prove that P , Q, R are collinear.
25. In a triangle ABC, Z is a point on AB, Y is a point on AC, and ZY
produced meets BC produced in X. Show that
XB Y C ZA
· · = 1.
XC Y A ZB
In a triangle ABC, Q is the midpoint of AB and P is the midpoint of
AQ. R is a point on AC such that P R produced meets BC produced in
X. QX intersects AC at S. If |AR| : |RC| = 1 : 2, use the above result
to find the ratio |RS| : |SC|.
26. Show that the centroid of a tetrahedron bisects each of the lines joining
the midpoint of the opposite edges and divides in the ratio 3 : 1 each of
the lines joining the vertices of the opposite faces.
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27. The points A and B have position vectors a and b with respect to an
origin O. The points P and Q are defined such that 3OP = OA and
3OQ = 2OB. X is the point of intersection of AQ and BP , and Y is the
point of intersection of AB and OX produced. Find the position vectors
of X and Y .
28. In parallelogram OABC, OA = a and OB = b. M is the midpoint of
AB and P is the point of intersection of OM and AC. Find OP.
29. In triangle ABC, AB = p and AC = q. If G is the point of intersection of
the medians of the triangle, find AG in terms of p and q. Use your result
to find the position vector of G, given that a, b and c are the position
vectors of A, B and C respectively.
