College

Find the angle between [tex]u=\sqrt{5}i - 8j[/tex] and [tex]v=\sqrt{5}i + j[/tex]. Round to the nearest tenth of a degree.

A. 65.9
B. 98.5
C. 90.4
D. 33.3

Please select the best answer from the choices provided:
A
B
C
D

Answer :

Sure! Let's find the angle between the vectors [tex]\( u = \sqrt{5} \, i - 8 \, j \)[/tex] and [tex]\( v = \sqrt{5} \, i + j \)[/tex].

1. Identify the components:

For vector [tex]\( u \)[/tex]:
- [tex]\( u_x = \sqrt{5} \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( u_y = -8 \)[/tex]

For vector [tex]\( v \)[/tex]:
- [tex]\( v_x = \sqrt{5} \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( v_y = 1 \)[/tex]

2. Calculate the dot product of [tex]\( u \)[/tex] and [tex]\( v \)[/tex]:

The dot product formula is:
[tex]\[
u \cdot v = u_x \times v_x + u_y \times v_y
\][/tex]

Substituting the values:
[tex]\[
u \cdot v = (\sqrt{5}) \times (\sqrt{5}) + (-8) \times 1 = 5 - 8 = -3
\][/tex]

3. Calculate the magnitudes of [tex]\( u \)[/tex] and [tex]\( v \)[/tex]:

The magnitude of [tex]\( u \)[/tex] is:
[tex]\[
\|u\| = \sqrt{u_x^2 + u_y^2} = \sqrt{(\sqrt{5})^2 + (-8)^2} = \sqrt{5 + 64} = \sqrt{69}
\][/tex]

The magnitude of [tex]\( v \)[/tex] is:
[tex]\[
\|v\| = \sqrt{v_x^2 + v_y^2} = \sqrt{(\sqrt{5})^2 + 1^2} = \sqrt{5 + 1} = \sqrt{6}
\][/tex]

4. Find the cosine of the angle [tex]\(\theta\)[/tex] between [tex]\( u \)[/tex] and [tex]\( v \)[/tex]:

The cosine formula is:
[tex]\[
\cos \theta = \frac{u \cdot v}{\|u\| \|v\|}
\][/tex]

Substitute the values we calculated:
[tex]\[
\cos \theta = \frac{-3}{\sqrt{69} \times \sqrt{6}}
\][/tex]

5. Compute the angle [tex]\( \theta \)[/tex] in degrees:

To find the angle [tex]\(\theta\)[/tex], we use the inverse cosine function:
[tex]\[
\theta = \cos^{-1}\left(\frac{-3}{\sqrt{69} \times \sqrt{6}}\right)
\][/tex]

After calculating, we find [tex]\(\theta\)[/tex] to be approximately 98.5 degrees.

Thus, the angle between the vectors [tex]\( u \)[/tex] and [tex]\( v \)[/tex] is approximately 98.5 degrees. The correct answer choice is b. 98.5.