Angle between curve and sphere

In summary, the conversation discusses finding the angle between a curve and a sphere, with two points of intersection at (0,1,0) and (0,-1,0). The approach is to find the tangent line to the curve and the tangent plane to the sphere at these points, and then find the angle between the direction vector of the tangent line and the normal vector of the tangent plane. The final step is to determine the tangent plane at each point and find the angle using the arccos function.
  • #1
autre
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I need to find the angle between a curve x^2 + y^2 =1, z = sqrt(2)x/y and a sphere z^2 + y^2 + z^2 = 1. I found two points of intersection, (0,1,0) and (0,-1,0), so at each of these points I assume that there's a tangent line to the curve and a tangent plane to the sphere. Then I'm guessing I'd find the angle between the direction vector of the tangent line to the curve and the normal vector of the tangent plane. Am I on the right track?

I have the direction vector of the tangent line to the curve at (0,1,0) as <1, 0, sqrt(2)> and at (0,-1,0) as <-1,0,-sqrt(2)>. I'm not sure where to go from here.
 
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  • #2
autre said:
I need to find the angle between a curve x^2 + y^2 =1, z = sqrt(2)x/y and a sphere z^2 + y^2 + z^2 = 1. I found two points of intersection, (0,1,0) and (0,-1,0), so at each of these points I assume that there's a tangent line to the curve and a tangent plane to the sphere. Then I'm guessing I'd find the angle between the direction vector of the tangent line to the curve and the normal vector of the tangent plane. Am I on the right track?

Yes, that's good.

I have the direction vector of the tangent line to the curve at (0,1,0) as <1, 0, sqrt(2)> and at (0,-1,0) as <-1,0,-sqrt(2)>. I'm not sure where to go from here.

Well, find the tangent plane to the sphere at the points (0,1,0) and (0,-1,0).
 
  • #3
Oh, so that'll just be a 90 degree angle in both cases, since <+-1, 0, +-sqrt(2)>.<0,+-2,0> = 0 so arccos0 = pi/2.
 

What is the angle between a curve and a sphere?

The angle between a curve and a sphere is the angle formed between the tangent line of the curve and the radius of the sphere at the point of intersection.

How is the angle between a curve and a sphere calculated?

The angle between a curve and a sphere can be calculated using the dot product between the tangent vector of the curve and the radius vector of the sphere at the point of intersection. The formula is given by cos θ = (T · R) / (|T| |R|), where T is the tangent vector and R is the radius vector.

What does a negative angle between a curve and a sphere indicate?

A negative angle between a curve and a sphere indicates that the curve is intersecting the sphere in a clockwise direction. This means that the curve is curving away from the sphere at the point of intersection.

What does a zero angle between a curve and a sphere indicate?

A zero angle between a curve and a sphere indicates that the curve is tangent to the sphere at the point of intersection. This means that the curve is curving towards the sphere and is touching it at that point.

How can the angle between a curve and a sphere be used in real-world applications?

The angle between a curve and a sphere has various applications in fields such as engineering, physics, and computer graphics. It is used to calculate the direction of a particle's motion in a magnetic field, determine the angle of incidence for light rays in optical systems, and create 3D models with realistic lighting effects.

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