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Algebra Difficulty 3.3 AMC 10/12 Find the answer

Given vectors a\overrightarrow{a}, b\overrightarrow{b}, and c\overrightarrow{c} are three non-zero vectors, which of the following statements are correct?

A: If ab=a+b|\overrightarrow{a}-\overrightarrow{b}|=|\overrightarrow{a}|+|\overrightarrow{b}|, then a\overrightarrow{a} and b\overrightarrow{b} are collinear and in opposite directions.

B: If ab\overrightarrow{a}∥\overrightarrow{b}, bc\overrightarrow{b}∥\overrightarrow{c}, then ac\overrightarrow{a}∥\overrightarrow{c}.

C: Vectors a\overrightarrow{a}, b\overrightarrow{b}, and c\overrightarrow{c} are three non-zero vectors, if ac=bc\overrightarrow{a}•\overrightarrow{c}=\overrightarrow{b}•\overrightarrow{c}, then a=b\overrightarrow{a}=\overrightarrow{b}.

D: If a+b=ab|\overrightarrow{a}+\overrightarrow{b}|=|\overrightarrow{a}-\overrightarrow{b}|, then ab\overrightarrow{a}⊥\overrightarrow{b}.

Multiple choice: answer with the letter of the option you want.

Solution

Let's break down the solution step by step, following the given rules:

Statement A:

Given ab=a+b|\overrightarrow{a}-\overrightarrow{b}|=|\overrightarrow{a}|+|\overrightarrow{b}|, squaring both sides yields:
ab2=(a+b)2a22ab+b2=a2+2ab+b2\begin{align*} {|\overrightarrow{a}-\overrightarrow{b}|}^2 &= {(|\overrightarrow{a}|+|\overrightarrow{b}|)}^2 \\ \overrightarrow{a}^2 - 2\overrightarrow{a}\cdot\overrightarrow{b} + \overrightarrow{b}^2 &= |\overrightarrow{a}|^2 + 2|\overrightarrow{a}||\overrightarrow{b}| + |\overrightarrow{b}|^2 \end{align*}
This simplifies to:
2ab=2abab=ab\begin{align*} -2\overrightarrow{a}\cdot\overrightarrow{b} &= 2|\overrightarrow{a}||\overrightarrow{b}| \\ \overrightarrow{a}\cdot\overrightarrow{b} &= -|\overrightarrow{a}||\overrightarrow{b}| \end{align*}
Since both a\overrightarrow{a} and b\overrightarrow{b} are non-zero vectors, it follows that:
cosa,b=abab=1\begin{align*} \cos\langle\overrightarrow{a},\overrightarrow{b}\rangle &= \frac{\overrightarrow{a}\cdot\overrightarrow{b}}{|\overrightarrow{a}||\overrightarrow{b}|} = -1 \end{align*}
As 0a,bπ0 \leq \langle\overrightarrow{a},\overrightarrow{b}\rangle \leq \pi, we have a,b=π\langle\overrightarrow{a},\overrightarrow{b}\rangle = \pi, indicating that a\overrightarrow{a} and b\overrightarrow{b} are collinear and in opposite directions. Thus, statement A is correct.

Statement B:

Given ab\overrightarrow{a}\parallel\overrightarrow{b} and bc\overrightarrow{b}\parallel\overrightarrow{c}, there exist non-zero real numbers λ,μR\lambda, \mu \in \mathbb{R}, such that:
b=λac=μb\begin{align*} \overrightarrow{b} &= \lambda\overrightarrow{a} \\ \overrightarrow{c} &= \mu\overrightarrow{b} \end{align*}
Hence, c=μλa\overrightarrow{c} = \mu\lambda\overrightarrow{a}, implying ca\overrightarrow{c}\parallel\overrightarrow{a}. Thus, statement B is correct.

Statement C:

Given ac=bc\overrightarrow{a}\cdot\overrightarrow{c} = \overrightarrow{b}\cdot\overrightarrow{c}, it follows that:
acbc=0(ab)c=0\begin{align*} \overrightarrow{a}\cdot\overrightarrow{c} - \overrightarrow{b}\cdot\overrightarrow{c} &= 0 \\ (\overrightarrow{a}-\overrightarrow{b})\cdot\overrightarrow{c} &= 0 \end{align*}
This implies ab=0\overrightarrow{a}-\overrightarrow{b} = \overrightarrow{0} or (ab)c(\overrightarrow{a}-\overrightarrow{b})\perp\overrightarrow{c}, meaning a=b\overrightarrow{a} = \overrightarrow{b} or (ab)c(\overrightarrow{a}-\overrightarrow{b})\perp\overrightarrow{c}. Thus, statement C is incorrect because it does not account for the possibility of (ab)c(\overrightarrow{a}-\overrightarrow{b})\perp\overrightarrow{c}.

Statement D:

Given a+b=ab|\overrightarrow{a}+\overrightarrow{b}| = |\overrightarrow{a}-\overrightarrow{b}|, squaring both sides gives:
a+b2=ab2a2+2ab+b2=a22ab+b2\begin{align*} {|\overrightarrow{a}+\overrightarrow{b}|}^2 &= {|\overrightarrow{a}-\overrightarrow{b}|}^2 \\ \overrightarrow{a}^2 + 2\overrightarrow{a}\cdot\overrightarrow{b} + \overrightarrow{b}^2 &= \overrightarrow{a}^2 - 2\overrightarrow{a}\cdot\overrightarrow{b} + \overrightarrow{b}^2 \end{align*}
This simplifies to ab=0\overrightarrow{a}\cdot\overrightarrow{b} = 0, indicating that ab\overrightarrow{a}\perp\overrightarrow{b}. Thus, statement D is correct.

Therefore, the correct statements are: A, B, and D\boxed{\text{A, B, and D}}.

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Source: NuminaMath-1.5, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.