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CBSE Sample Paper 2023-24 · Section A · 1 mark

Q8: EA→+EB→+EC→+ED→\overrightarrow{EA} + \overrightarrow{EB} + \overrightarrow{EC} + \overrightarrow{ED} for a rhombus ABCDABCD

The question

ABCDABCD is a rhombus whose diagonals intersect at EE⁠. Then EA→+EB→+EC→+ED→\overrightarrow{EA} + \overrightarrow{EB} + \overrightarrow{EC} + \overrightarrow{ED} equals to

(a) 0⃗\vec 0

(b) AD→\overrightarrow{AD}

(c) 2BD→2\overrightarrow{BD}

(d) 2AD→2\overrightarrow{AD}

Exam answer

The diagonals of a rhombus bisect each other, so EE is the midpoint of ACAC and of BDBD⁠.

Why?

A rhombus is a parallelogram, and the diagonals of a parallelogram bisect each other. So EA=ECEA = EC and EB=EDEB = ED in length.

EC→=−EA→…(i)ED→=−EB→…(ii)\begin{aligned} \overrightarrow{EC} &= -\overrightarrow{EA} \quad\ldots(\text{i}) \\ \overrightarrow{ED} &= -\overrightarrow{EB} \quad\ldots(\text{ii}) \end{aligned}
Why?

EA→\overrightarrow{EA} and EC→\overrightarrow{EC} have the same length but point in opposite directions along ACAC⁠. A vector with the same length and the opposite direction is the negative, so EC→=−EA→\overrightarrow{EC} = -\overrightarrow{EA}⁠.

In the same way, along BDBD⁠, ED→=−EB→\overrightarrow{ED} = -\overrightarrow{EB}⁠.

Using (i) and (ii):

EA→+EB→+EC→+ED→=EA→+EB→−EA→−EB→=0⃗\begin{aligned} &\overrightarrow{EA} + \overrightarrow{EB} + \overrightarrow{EC} + \overrightarrow{ED} \\ &= \overrightarrow{EA} + \overrightarrow{EB} - \overrightarrow{EA} - \overrightarrow{EB} \\ &= \vec 0 \end{aligned}
Why?

Each vector cancels its negative: a⃗+(−a⃗)=0⃗\vec a + (-\vec a) = \vec 0⁠.

(EA→−EA→)+(EB→−EB→)=0⃗+0⃗=0⃗\begin{aligned} &\left(\overrightarrow{EA} - \overrightarrow{EA}\right) + \left(\overrightarrow{EB} - \overrightarrow{EB}\right) \\ &= \vec 0 + \vec 0 = \vec 0 \end{aligned}

Watch out: a sum of vectors is the zero vector 0⃗\vec 0⁠, not the number 0. Options (b), (c) and (d) are non-zero vectors, because A≠DA \ne D and B≠DB \ne D⁠.

Answer: (a) 0⃗\vec 0

Where this comes from

Chapter 10, Vector Algebra: Addition of vectors: diagonals of a rhombus.

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