Question:

Let \(\bar{a}=\hat{i}+\hat{j}+\hat{k}\) and \(\bar{b}=\hat{i}-\hat{j}+2\hat{k}\). If a vector \(\bar{c}\) is coplanar with \(\bar{a}\) and \(\bar{b}\) such that \(\bar{c}\cdot \bar{a}=1\) and \(\bar{c}\) is perpendicular to \(\bar{b}\), then \(\bar{c}\) is equal to ...

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Write c as a combination of a and b, then use c.a = 1 and c.b = 0.
Updated On: Nov 12, 2026
  • \(\frac{1}{3}(2\hat{i}+\hat{j}+\hat{k})\)
  • \(\frac{1}{5}(2\hat{i}-\hat{j}+4\hat{k})\)
  • \(\frac{1}{7}(2\hat{i}+4\hat{j}+\hat{k})\)
  • \(\frac{1}{7}(2\hat{i}-4\hat{j}-\hat{k})\)
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept
Since \(\bar{c}\) is coplanar with \(\bar{a}\) and \(\bar{b}\), write \(\bar{c}=\lambda \bar{a}+\mu \bar{b}\).

Step 2: Dot products
\(\bar{a}\cdot \bar{a}=3\), \(\bar{b}\cdot \bar{b}=6\), \(\bar{a}\cdot \bar{b}=1-1+2=2\).

Step 3: Form equations
\(\bar{c}\cdot \bar{a}=3\lambda +2\mu =1\) and \(\bar{c}\cdot \bar{b}=2\lambda +6\mu =0\).
So \(\lambda =-3\mu\), giving \(-7\mu =1\), \(\mu =-\dfrac{1}{7}\), \(\lambda =\dfrac{3}{7}\).

Step 4: Find c
\(\bar{c}=\dfrac{3}{7}(\hat{i}+\hat{j}+\hat{k})-\dfrac{1}{7}(\hat{i}-\hat{j}+2\hat{k})=\dfrac{1}{7}(2\hat{i}+4\hat{j}+\hat{k})\).

Final Answer:
The vector is \(\dfrac{1}{7}(2\hat{i}+4\hat{j}+\hat{k})\). \[ \boxed{\text{(C) }\dfrac{1}{7}(2\hat{i}+4\hat{j}+\hat{k})} \]
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