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Question #40856
The Question
Let be four points in such that the volume of the tetrahedron is . Let be the matrix defined by where are the position vectors of respectively, and . Let be the position vector of the centroid of the tetrahedron . Let be a matrix whose columns are , where If , what is the value of ?
Options
- A.
28
- B.
84
- C.
14
- D.
42
Check Your Answer
Correct Answer
Step-by-Step Solution
Explanation
How the Examiner Thinks
Monster
Ultra-high difficulty questions designed to test your limit, stamina, and deep conceptual understanding.
Concepts Behind This Question
Centroid of a Tetrahedron|Determinant Product Rule|Determinant Scaling Property|Collinearity vs Coplanarity
Why This Question Is Tricky
Common Mistakes
This question tests the geometric interpretation of determinants using homogeneous coordinates and the properties of block matrices.
The primary trap is the 'Determinant Scaling Property': students often incorrectly scale the matrix by instead of , forgetting that the homogeneous representation adds a fourth dimension, leading to the distractor 84.
A secondary trap lies in ignoring the centroid shift or the modified last row, assuming the determinant simply scales by from the term, which leads to the distractor 14.
The elegant solution path requires recognizing as a product of a block upper triangular transformation matrix and the vertex matrix .
Quick Facts About This Question
Question Information
| Subject | Mathematics |
| Chapter | Introduction to Three-dimensional Geometry - Class 11 |
| Concept | Centroid of a Tetrahedron |
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Cognitive Load | 7 |
| Target Solve Time | 160 sec |
| Access | Free |