Question:hard

The maximum volume of a parallelopiped (in cubic units) with vectors \((2a\hat{i}+\hat{k}),(a\hat{j}-a\hat{k})\), and \((3\hat{i}+a\hat{j})\), where \(a\in [0,1]\), as its coterminous edges is...

Show Hint

The volume is the modulus of the scalar triple product; maximise its modulus on [0, 1].
Updated On: Oct 1, 2026
  • \(\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}\)
  • \(\sqrt{2}\)
  • \(2\)
  • \(2\sqrt{2}\)
Show Solution

The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Triple product
Compute $\vec{q}\times\vec{r}$ where $\vec{q} = (0, a, -a)$ and $\vec{r} = (3, a, 0)$. The components are $(a\cdot0 - (-a)\cdot a,\ (-a)\cdot3 - 0\cdot0,\ 0\cdot a - a\cdot3) = (a^2, -3a, -3a)$.

Step 2: Dot with p
$\vec{p} = (2a, 0, 1)$, so the product is $2a^3 + 0 - 3a$.

Step 3: Optimise
The magnitude $|2a^3 - 3a| = 3a - 2a^3$ on $[0, 1]$, which is largest where its derivative $3 - 6a^2 = 0$, so $a^2 = \frac{1}{2}$.

Step 4: Value
$3a - 2a^3 = a(3 - 2a^2) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}\cdot2 = \sqrt{2}$.

Final Answer:
The maximum volume is sqrt 2. This is option (B). \[ \boxed{\text{(B) }\sqrt{2}} \]
Was this answer helpful?
0