Line that intersects and is perpendicular to another line

In summary, To find the line through (4, 1, -1) that intersects and is perpendicular to the line, use the dot product equation with the direction vector of the line and a vector representing the line to find the coordinates of the point of intersection, and then substitute these coordinates into the parametric form of the line to find the value of t.
  • #1
flame_m13
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Homework Statement


Find the line through (4, 1, -1) that intersects and is perpendicular to the line
{
x = -1 +t
y = -2 + t
z = 1 +t
}

Homework Equations


if they are perpendicular, the dot product of two vectors has to be zero.
The book gives me another hint, if (x, y, z) is the point of intersection, find it's coordinates.

The Attempt at a Solution


The direction vector for the line l is <1, 1, 1>
The vector for the line I'm trying to find is PQ = <(x-4), (y-1), (z+1)>
if i do the dot product, i get
(x-4)1 + (y-1)1 + (z+1)1 = 0.

at this point, the only x, y and z i can think of to make the whole thing zero are (4,1,-1)...

i am really confused on what i should do next.
 
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  • #2
Substitute the parametric form x=t-1 etc into the dot product equation. Find t.
 

What is a line that intersects and is perpendicular to another line?

A line that intersects and is perpendicular to another line is a line that crosses another line at a 90 degree angle, forming an L-shape or right angle.

How can you determine if two lines are perpendicular?

To determine if two lines are perpendicular, you can use the slope formula to calculate the slopes of each line. If the slopes are negative reciprocals of each other, then the lines are perpendicular.

What is the equation for a line that is perpendicular to another line?

The equation for a line that is perpendicular to another line is y = -1/mx + b, where m is the slope of the original line and b is the y-intercept.

Can two lines be perpendicular if they have the same slope?

No, two lines cannot be perpendicular if they have the same slope. Perpendicular lines must have slopes that are negative reciprocals of each other.

How many points of intersection can two perpendicular lines have?

Two perpendicular lines can have only one point of intersection. This is because perpendicular lines form a right angle, which can only have one point of intersection.

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