Problem 120
Medium Triple Products and Volume

Compute the volume of the parallelepiped on vec m=vec a+vec…

Compute the volume of the parallelepiped on $\vec m=\vec a+\vec b+\vec c$, $\vec n=\vec a+\vec b-\vec c$, $\vec p=\vec a-\vec b+\vec c$, if $\vec a,\vec b,\vec c$ form a right-handed triad and the parallelepiped on them has volume $\tfrac14$.

Explanation of Method

Volume of the parallelepiped on m, n, p expressed through a, b, c.

Step 1: Coefficient determinant

The triple product is linear in each slot. Every term with a repeated vector vanishes, and the six remaining terms combine exactly like a $3\times3$ determinant. Hence

\[ [\vec m,\vec n,\vec p]=\begin{vmatrix}1&1&1\\1&1&-1\\1&-1&1\end{vmatrix}[\vec a,\vec b,\vec c]=\big(1(1-1)-1(1+1)+1(-1-1)\big)[\vec a,\vec b,\vec c]=-4\,[\vec a,\vec b,\vec c]. \]

Step 2: Volume

The triad is right-handed, so $[\vec a,\vec b,\vec c]=+\tfrac14$, and

\[V'=|-4\cdot\tfrac14|=1\]

The negative sign means that $\vec m,\vec n,\vec p$ (in this order) form a left-handed triad.


Result

\[\boxed{\,V'=|-4\cdot\tfrac14|=1\,}\]

Remark

Cleaned up. The source's permutation table contains contradictory rows and a "re-doing" pass. The determinant rule above gives the result directly, and it matches the source's own verification ($-4$).