Find the angle between two vectors with the help of the scalar product.

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
If $\theta$ is the angle between vectors $\overrightarrow{A}$ and $\overrightarrow{B}$,then by the definition of the scalar product:
$\overrightarrow{A} \cdot \overrightarrow{B} = AB \cos \theta$
Rearranging the formula to solve for $\cos \theta$:
$\cos \theta = \frac{\overrightarrow{A} \cdot \overrightarrow{B}}{|\overrightarrow{A}| |\overrightarrow{B}|} = \frac{\overrightarrow{A} \cdot \overrightarrow{B}}{AB}$
Therefore,the angle $\theta$ is given by:
$\theta = \cos^{-1} \left( \frac{\overrightarrow{A} \cdot \overrightarrow{B}}{AB} \right)$
In a Cartesian coordinate system,where $\overrightarrow{A} = A_x \hat{i} + A_y \hat{j} + A_z \hat{k}$ and $\overrightarrow{B} = B_x \hat{i} + B_y \hat{j} + B_z \hat{k}$,the expression becomes:
$\cos \theta = \frac{A_x B_x + A_y B_y + A_z B_z}{\sqrt{A_x^2 + A_y^2 + A_z^2} \sqrt{B_x^2 + B_y^2 + B_z^2}}$

Explore More

Similar Questions

If $|\vec A| = 2$ and $|\vec B| = 4$,then match the relation in Column $-I$ with the angle $\theta$ between $\vec A$ and $\vec B$ in Column $-II$.
Column $-I$ Column $-II$
$(a) \vec A \cdot \vec B = 0$ $(i) \theta = 0^\circ$
$(b) \vec A \cdot \vec B = +8$ $(ii) \theta = 90^\circ$
$(c) \vec A \cdot \vec B = 4$ $(iii) \theta = 180^\circ$
$(d) \vec A \cdot \vec B = -8$ $(iv) \theta = 60^\circ$

The angle between two vectors $-2\hat{i} + 3\hat{j} + \hat{k}$ and $\hat{i} + 2\hat{j} - 4\hat{k}$ is ....... $^o$

If a vector $\vec A$ is parallel to another vector $\vec B$,then the resultant of the vector $\vec A \times \vec B$ will be equal to

The vector product of two vectors $2\hat{i} + \hat{j}$ and $\hat{i} + 2\hat{j}$ is:

The vectors from the origin to the points $A$ and $B$ are $\overrightarrow A = 3\hat i - 6\hat j + 2\hat k$ and $\overrightarrow B = 2\hat i + \hat j - 2\hat k$ respectively. The area of the triangle $OAB$ is:

Difficult
View Solution

Vedclass Products

For Students

Vedclass Test Series

Mock tests in real JEE/NEET style with performance analysis. 5-day free trial.

Start Free Trial
For Teachers

Exam Paper Generator

Generate Set A/B/C/D exam papers from 7.5L+ questions in 2 minutes. 3 chapters free.

Try Free
For Institutes

Online Exam Module

Live online exams with unlimited students, 360° analytics & white-label branding.

See Demo