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HW 2

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Math 53 Homework 2

Due Tuesday 9/13/11 in section

(The problems in parentheses are for extra practice and optional. Only turn in the underlined problems.) Wednesday 9/7 Dot product continued; determinant Read: section 12.3. Work: 12.3: (1), (11), 19, 23, (25), (27), (34), 35, (39), (45), (51), 56, 59, (60). Problem 1 below. Friday 9/9 Cross product Read: section 12.4. Work: 12.4: (3), (9), (13), 16, (19), (27), 31, 35, (37), (43), 44, 49. p. 794 The geometry of a tetrahedron, parts 1 and 3. Hint: for part 1, dont introduce coordinates; instead, express everything in terms of the vectors a = SP , b = SQ , and c = SR and use vector identities.

Problem 1. The eight vertices of a cube centered at (0, 0, 0) of side length 2 are at (1, 1, 1). a) Find the four vertices of the cube, starting with (1, 1, 1), that form a regular tetrahedron. Conrm your answer by nding the length of an edge and explaining why all edges have the same length. (Recall: a tetrahedron is a solid with four triangular faces, like a pyramid with a triangular base; it is regular if all faces are equilateral triangles. Draw pictures and look at cubical objects in order to gure out how equilateral triangles t on a cube). b) Use dot product to nd the angle between two adjacent edges (edges sharing a common vertex) of the regular tetrahedron; and the angle between two opposite edges (edges that lie on skew lines; even though they dont intersect, you can still compute the angle made by their directions). Explain your answers using symmetry. c) A methane molecule CH4 consists of a hydrogen atom at each of the vertices of a regular tetrahedron and a carbon atom at the center. Find the bond angle, i.e. the angle made by vectors from the carbon atom to two hydrogen atoms (use a calculator; round your answer).

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