To find the unit vector perpendicular to both a+b and a−b, we need to calculate their cross product and then normalize it.
Given:
a=i^+j^+k^
b=i^+2j^+3k^
Let's calculate a+b and a−b:
a+b=(i^+j^+k^)+(i^+2j^+3k^)=2i^+3j^+4k^
a−b=(i^+j^+k^)−(i^+2j^+3k^)=−j^−2k^
A vector perpendicular to both would be their cross product:
(a+b)×(a−b)
Computing this cross product using the determinant:
i^20j^3−1k^4−2
=(3×(−2)−4×(−1))i^−(2×(−2)−4×0)j^+(2×(−1)−3×0)k^
=(−6+4)i^−(−4)j^+(−2)k^
=−2i^+4j^−2k^
To make this a unit vector, we divide by its magnitude:
Magnitude = (−2)2+42+(−2)2=4+16+4=24=26
Therefore, the unit vector is:
261(−2i^+4j^−2k^)=61(−i^+2j^−k^)