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 $a + b + c = 0$,then $a \times b$ is equal to:

Difficult
View Solution

The vector component of $\vec{a} = 2\hat{i} + 3\hat{j}$ along the direction of vector $\vec{b} = (\hat{i} + \hat{j})$ is:

If $\overrightarrow {A} = 2\hat i + 3\hat j - \hat k$ and $\overrightarrow {B} = - \hat i + 3\hat j + 4\hat k$,a unit vector perpendicular to both $\overrightarrow {A}$ and $\overrightarrow {B}$ will be

What happens to the direction and magnitude of a vector when it is multiplied by a positive and a negative scalar $\lambda$?

$\overrightarrow{A}$ and $\overrightarrow{B}$ are two vectors given by $\overrightarrow{A} = 2\widehat{i} + 3\widehat{j}$ and $\overrightarrow{B} = \widehat{i} + \widehat{j}$. The magnitude of the component (projection) of $\overrightarrow{A}$ on $\overrightarrow{B}$ is

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