What Value of a Makes Vectors Coplanar?

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Homework Statement



vector a = (0,1,0)
vector b = (-2,1,1)
vector c = (1, a-2, a+2)

for what value of a are the three vectors coplanar?

Homework Equations



don't know how to do this

The Attempt at a Solution



didn't try anything
 
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BlueRope said:

Homework Statement



vector a = (0,1,0)
vector b = (-2,1,1)
vector c = (1, a-2, a+2)

for what value of a are the three vectors coplanar?

Homework Equations



don't know how to do this

The Attempt at a Solution



didn't try anything

If a is a parameter, you shouldn't name the vector a as well.

Have you read the definition coplanar?
 
Well let's start at the fundamental level.

Do you know what coplanar means?
 
After looking at the title of this thread ... I can think of two ways.
 
What are those two ways?
 
Locking the thread, because the OP has not shown any effort at solving this problem.
 
There are two things I don't understand about this problem. First, when finding the nth root of a number, there should in theory be n solutions. However, the formula produces n+1 roots. Here is how. The first root is simply ##\left(r\right)^{\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)}##. Then you multiply this first root by n additional expressions given by the formula, as you go through k=0,1,...n-1. So you end up with n+1 roots, which cannot be correct. Let me illustrate what I mean. For this...
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