A LEVEL P1
QUESTION'S
VECTORS
QUESTIONS 1 TOPIC:10 VECTORS
1 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of the points A, B, C and D are given by
1 3 4 −1
−−→ −−→ −−→ −−→
OA = 3 , OB = −1 , OC = 2 and OD = 0 ,
−1 3 p q
where p and q are constants. Find
−−→
(i) the unit vector in the direction of AB, [3]
(ii) the value of p for which angle AOC = 90◦ , [3]
−−→
(iii) the values of q for which the length of AD is 7 units. [4]
2 The points A and B have position vectors i + 7j + 2k and −5i + 5j + 6k respectively, relative to an
origin O.
(i) Use a scalar product to calculate angle AOB, giving your answer in radians correct to 3 significant
figures. [4]
−−→ −−→ −−→
(ii) The point C is such that AB = 2BC. Find the unit vector in the direction of OC. [4]
3 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of the points A and B are given by
−−→ −−→
OA = 2i + 3j − k and OB = 4i − 3j + 2k.
(i) Use a scalar product to find angle AOB, correct to the nearest degree. [4]
−−→
(ii) Find the unit vector in the direction of AB. [3]
−−→ −−→
(iii) The point C is such that OC = 6j + pk, where p is a constant. Given that the lengths of AB and
−−→
AC are equal, find the possible values of p. [4]
4 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of points P and Q are given by
−2 2
−−→ −−→
OP = 3 and OQ = 1 ,
1 q
where q is a constant.
(i) In the case where q = 3, use a scalar product to show that cos POQ = 17 . [3]
−−→
(ii) Find the values of q for which the length of PQ is 6 units. [4]
QUESTIONS 2 TOPIC:10 VECTORS
The diagram shows the roof of a house. The base of the roof, OABC, is rectangular and horizontal
with OA = CB = 14 m and OC = AB = 8 m. The top of the roof DE is 5 m above the base and
DE = 6 m. The sloping edges OD, CD, AE and BE are all equal in length.
Unit vectors i and j are parallel to OA and OC respectively and the unit vector k is vertically upwards.
−−→
(i) Express the vector OD in terms of i, j and k, and find its magnitude. [4]
(ii) Use a scalar product to find angle DOB. [4]
−3 −1
6 The position vectors of points A and B are 6 and 2 respectively, relative to an origin O.
3 4
(i) Calculate angle AOB. [3]
−−→ −−→ −−→
(ii) The point C is such that AC = 3AB. Find the unit vector in the direction of OC. [4]
7 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of the points A and B are given by
4 3
−−→ −−→
OA = 1 and OB = 2 .
−2 −4
−−→ −−→ −−→
(i) Given that C is the point such that AC = 2AB, find the unit vector in the direction of OC. [4]
1
−−→
The position vector of the point D is given by OD = 4 , where k is a constant, and it is given that
k
−−→ −−→ −−→
OD = mOA + nOB, where m and n are constants.
(ii) Find the values of m, n and k. [4]
QUESTIONS 3 TOPIC:10 VECTORS
The diagram shows a cube OABCDEFG in which the length of each side is 4 units. The unit vectors
−−→ −−→ −−→
i, j and k are parallel to OA, OC and OD respectively. The mid-points of OA and DG are P and Q
respectively and R is the centre of the square face ABFE.
−−→ −−→
(i) Express each of the vectors PR and PQ in terms of i, j and k. [3]
(ii) Use a scalar product to find angle QPR. [4]
(iii) Find the perimeter of triangle PQR, giving your answer correct to 1 decimal place. [3]
9 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of points A and B are 2i + j + 2k and 3i − 2j + pk
respectively.
(i) Find the value of p for which OA and OB are perpendicular. [2]
(ii) In the case where p = 6, use a scalar product to find angle AOB, correct to the nearest degree.
[3]
−−→
(iii) Express the vector AB is terms of p and hence find the values of p for which the length of AB is
3.5 units. [4]
10
F
P
8 cm
E
B M
C
k
j N
A 20 cm
6 cm
O i D
QUESTIONS 4 TOPIC:10 VECTORS
The diagram shows a semicircular prism with a horizontal rectangular base ABCD. The vertical ends
AED and BFC are semicircles of radius 6 cm. The length of the prism is 20 cm. The mid-point of
AD is the origin O, the mid-point of BC is M and the mid-point of DC is N . The points E and F are
the highest points of the semicircular ends of the prism. The point P lies on EF such that EP = 8 cm.
Unit vectors i, j and k are parallel to OD, OM and OE respectively.
−−→ −−→
(i) Express each of the vectors PA and PN in terms of i, j and k. [3]
(ii) Use a scalar product to calculate angle APN . [4]
11 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of the points A, B and C are given by
2 0 −2
3!, −6 ! 5!.
−−→ −−→ −−→
OA = OB = and OC =
−6 8 −2
(i) Find angle AOB. [4]
−−→
(ii) Find the vector which is in the same direction as AC and has magnitude 30. [3]
−−→ −−→ −−→
(iii) Find the value of the constant p for which OA + p OB is perpendicular to OC . [3]
12
A
C
−−→ −−→
The diagram shows the parallelogram OABC . Given that OA = i + 3j + 3k and OC = 3i − j + k, find
−−→
(i) the unit vector in the direction of OB, [3]
(ii) the acute angle between the diagonals of the parallelogram, [5]
(iii) the perimeter of the parallelogram, correct to 1 decimal place. [3]
QUESTIONS 5 TOPIC:10 VECTORS
13 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of the points A and B are given by
−2 4
3! 1!.
−−→ −−→
OA = and OB =
1 p
−−→ −−→
(i) Find the value of p for which OA is perpendicular to OB. [2]
−−→
(ii) Find the values of p for which the magnitude of AB is 7. [4]
14 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of the points A, B and C are given by
−−→ −−→ −−→
OA = i − 2j + 4k, OB = 3i + 2j + 8k, OC = −i − 2j + 10k.
(i) Use a scalar product to find angle ABC . [6]
(ii) Find the perimeter of triangle ABC , giving your answer correct to 2 decimal places. [2]
15
C
10 cm
B
m
8c
k
j
O
i
6c
m
A
The diagram shows a pyramid OABC with a horizontal base OAB where OA = 6 cm, OB = 8 cm and
angle AOB = 90◦ . The point C is vertically above O and OC = 10 cm. Unit vectors i, j and k are
parallel to OA, OB and OC as shown.
Use a scalar product to find angle ACB. [6]
QUESTIONS 6 TOPIC:10 VECTORS
16
P
G F
10 cm 6 cm
6 cm
D C
E B
a cm
k j 10 cm
O i 10 cm A
The diagram shows a pyramid OABCP in which the horizontal base OABC is a square of side 10 cm
and the vertex P is 10 cm vertically above O. The points D, E, F , G lie on OP, AP, BP, CP
respectively and DEFG is a horizontal square of side 6 cm. The height of DEFG above the base is
a cm. Unit vectors i, j and k are parallel to OA, OC and OD respectively.
(i) Show that a = 4. [2]
−−→
(ii) Express the vector BG in terms of i, j and k. [2]
(iii) Use a scalar product to find angle GBA. [4]
17
B
The diagram shows triangle OAB, in which the position vectors of A and B with respect to O are
given by
−−→ −−→
OA = 2i + j − 3k and OB = −3i + 2j − 4k.
−−→ −−→
C is a point on OA such that OC = p OA, where p is a constant.
(i) Find angle AOB. [4]
−−→
(ii) Find BC in terms of p and vectors i, j and k. [1]
(iii) Find the value of p given that BC is perpendicular to OA. [4]
QUESTIONS 7 TOPIC:10 VECTORS
18
Q
B R
S
5 cm P
C
k 6 cm
2 cm
j
A D
i 6 cm
The diagram shows a prism ABCDPQRS with a horizontal square base APSD with sides of length
6 cm. The cross-section ABCD is a trapezium and is such that the vertical edges AB and DC are of
lengths 5 cm and 2 cm respectively. Unit vectors i, j and k are parallel to AD, AP and AB respectively.
−−→ −−→
(i) Express each of the vectors CP and CQ in terms of i, j and k. [2]
(ii) Use a scalar product to calculate angle PCQ. [4]
19 Relative to the origin O, the position vectors of the points A, B and C are given by
−−→ −−→ −−→
2 4 10
OA = 3!, OB = 2! and OC = 0!.
5 3 6
(i) Find angle ABC . [6]
The point D is such that ABCD is a parallelogram.
(ii) Find the position vector of D. [2]
20
G F
Q
D
E
C B
k
j R
O i A
QUESTIONS 8 TOPIC:10 VECTORS
In the diagram, OABCDEFG is a rectangular block in which OA = OD = 6 cm and AB = 12 cm. The
−−→ −−→ −
−−→
unit vectors i, j and k are parallel to OA, OC and OD respectively. The point P is the mid-point of
DG, Q is the centre of the square face CBFG and R lies on AB such that AR = 4 cm.
−−→ −−→
(i) Express each of the vectors PQ and RQ in terms of i, j and k. [3]
(ii) Use a scalar product to find angle RQP. [4]
21 Relative to an origin O, the point A has position vector 4i + 7j − pk and the point B has position vector
8i − j − pk, where p is a constant.
−−→ −−→
(i) Find OA . OB. [2]
(ii) Hence show that there are no real values of p for which OA and OB are perpendicular to each
other. [1]
(iii) Find the values of p for which angle AOB = 60◦ . [4]
22 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of points A and B are given by
−−→ −−→
OA = 5i + j + 2k and OB = 2i + 7j + pk,
where p is a constant.
(i) Find the value of p for which angle AOB is 90◦ . [3]
(ii) In the case where p = 4, find the vector which has magnitude 28 and is in the same direction as
−−→
AB. [4]
23 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of points A and B are 3i + 4j − k and 5i − 2j − 3k
respectively.
(i) Use a scalar product to find angle BOA. [4]
−−−
→ −−→
The point C is the mid-point of AB. The point D is such that OD = 2 OB.
−−→
(ii) Find DC. [4]
p2 2
24 Two vectors u and v are such that u = −2 ! and v = p − 1 !, where p is a constant.
6 2p + 1
(i) Find the values of p for which u is perpendicular to v. [3]
(ii) For the case where p = 1, find the angle between the directions of u and v. [4]
QUESTIONS 9 TOPIC:10 VECTORS
25 (i) Find the angle between the vectors 3i − 4k and 2i + 3j − 6k. [4]
−−→
The vector OA has a magnitude of 15 units and is in the same direction as the vector 3i − 4k. The
−−→
vector OB has a magnitude of 14 units and is in the same direction as the vector 2i + 3j − 6k.
−−→ −−→
(ii) Express OA and OB in terms of i, j and k. [3]
−−→
(iii) Find the unit vector in the direction of AB. [3]
26 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of the points A, B and C are given by
2 4 1
−1 !, 2! 3 !.
−−→ −−→ −−→
OA = OB = and OC =
4 −2 p
Find
−−→
(i) the unit vector in the direction of AB, [3]
(ii) the value of the constant p for which angle BOC = 90◦ . [2]
27 The position vectors of points A and B relative to an origin O are a and b respectively. The position
vectors of points C and D relative to O are 3a and 2b respectively. It is given that
2 4
a= 1! and b= 0!.
2 6
−−→
(i) Find the unit vector in the direction of CD. [3]
(ii) The point E is the mid-point of CD. Find angle EOD. [6]
28 The position vectors of the points A and B, relative to an origin O, are given by
1 k
0! −k !,
−−→ −−→
OA = and OB =
2 2k
where k is a constant.
(i) In the case where k = 2, calculate angle AOB. [4]
−−→
(ii) Find the values of k for which AB is a unit vector. [4]
QUESTIONS 10 TOPIC:10 VECTORS
29 The position vectors of points A and B relative to an origin O are given by
p 4
1! 2!,
−−→ −−→
OA = and OB =
1 p
where p is a constant.
(i) In the case where OAB is a straight line, state the value of p and find the unit vector in the
−−→
direction of OA. [3]
(ii) In the case where OA is perpendicular to AB, find the possible values of p. [5]
(iii) In the case where p = 3, the point C is such that OABC is a parallelogram. Find the position
vector of C. [2]
30 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of three points, A, B and C, are given by
−−→ −−→ −−→
OA = i + 2pj + qk, OB = qj − 2pk and OC = − 4p2 + q2 i + 2pj + qk,
where p and q are constants.
−−→ −−→
(i) Show that OA is perpendicular to OC for all non-zero values of p and q. [2]
−−→
(ii) Find the magnitude of CA in terms of p and q. [2]
−−→
(iii) For the case where p = 3 and q = 2, find the unit vector parallel to BA. [3]
31 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of points A and B are given by
−−→ −−→
OA = i − 2j + 2k and OB = 3i + pj + qk,
where p and q are constants.
−−→ −−→
(i) State the values of p and q for which OA is parallel to OB. [2]
(ii) In the case where q = 2p, find the value of p for which angle BOA is 90Å. [2]
−−→
(iii) In the case where p = 1 and q = 8, find the unit vector in the direction of AB. [3]
32
A
B
O
C
QUESTIONS 11 TOPIC:10 VECTORS
The diagram shows a parallelogram OABC in which
` a ` a
−−→ 3 −−→ 5
OA = 3 and OB = 0 .
−4 2
(i) Use a scalar product to find angle BOC. [6]
−−→
(ii) Find a vector which has magnitude 35 and is parallel to the vector OC. [2]
33
x metres
r metres
The inside lane of a school running track consists of two straight sections each of length x metres,
and two semicircular sections each of radius r metres, as shown in the diagram. The straight sections
are perpendicular to the diameters of the semicircular sections. The perimeter of the inside lane is
400 metres.
(i) Show that the area, A m2 , of the region enclosed by the inside lane is given by A = 400r − 0r2 .
[4]
(ii) Given that x and r can vary, show that, when A has a stationary value, there are no straight
sections in the track. Determine whether the stationary value is a maximum or a minimum. [5]
34 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of points A and B are given by
−−→ −−→
OA = i + 2j and OB = 4i + pk.
−−→
(i) In the case where p = 6, find the unit vector in the direction of AB. [3]
(ii) Find the values of p for which angle AOB = cos−1
1
5 . [4]
QUESTIONS 12 TOPIC:10 VECTORS
35
C
10
i O
j
8
6
A B
D
The diagram shows a pyramid OABC in which the edge OC is vertical. The horizontal base OAB is
a triangle, right-angled at O, and D is the mid-point of AB. The edges OA, OB and OC have lengths
−−→ −−→
of 8 units, 6 units and 10 units respectively. The unit vectors i, j and k are parallel to OA, OB and
−−→
OC respectively.
−−→ −−→
(i) Express each of the vectors OD and CD in terms of i, j and k. [2]
(ii) Use a scalar product to find angle ODC. [4]
36 Relative to an origin O, the position vectors of points A and B are given by
` a ` a
−−→ 3p −−→ −p
OA = 4 and OB = −1 .
p2 p2
(i) Find the values of p for which angle AOB is 90Å. [3]
−−→
(ii) For the case where p = 3, find the unit vector in the direction of BA. [3]
37
C
D
B
A
QUESTIONS 13 TOPIC:10 VECTORS
The diagram shows a trapezium ABCD in which BA is parallel to CD. The position vectors of A, B
and C relative to an origin O are given by
` a ` a ` a
−−→ 3 −−→ 1 −−→ 4
OA = 4 , OB = 3 and OC = 5 .
0 2 6
(i) Use a scalar product to show that AB is perpendicular to BC. [3]
(ii) Given that the length of CD is 12 units, find the position vector of D. [4]
38 The position vectors of points A, B and C relative to an origin O are given by
` a ` a ` a
−−→ 2 −−→ 6 −−→ 2
OA = 1 , OB = −1 and OC = 4 .
3 7 7
1
(i) Show that angle BAC = cos−1 3 . [5]
(ii) Use the result in part (i) to find the exact value of the area of triangle ABC. [3]