Rotating a point in 3-space through an angle about some vector

In summary, the desired transformation ##T## is given by rotating ##v## about the z-axis by ##-\theta## degrees, then rotating about the y-axis by ##-\phi## degrees, followed by rotation about the x-axis by ##\alpha## degrees, and finally reversing the rotations about the y-axis and z-axis to return the vector to its original position.
  • #1
Eclair_de_XII
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TL;DR Summary
Find the matrix of the rotation in 3-space through the angle ##\alpha## around the vector ##(1,2,3)^T##. We assume that the rotation is counterclockwise if we sit at the tip of the vertex and are looking at the origin.

It is alright to express the matrix as a product of matrices.
Denote ##v=(1,2,3)^T##, ##\theta=\arctan(2)##, and ##\phi=\arctan(\frac{3}{\sqrt{5}})##.The way that I attempted this was by performing the following steps:

(1) Rotate ##v## about the z-axis ##-\theta## degrees, while keeping the z-coordinate constant.
(2) Rotate ##v## about the y-axis ##-\phi## degrees, while keeping the y-coordinate constant.
(3) Rotate ##v## about the x-axis ##\alpha## degrees, while keeping the x-coordinate constant.
(4) Rotate ##v## about the y-axis back ##\phi## degrees.
(5) Rotate ##v## about the z-axis back ##\theta## degrees.

I've attached images for visualization. I sort of drew the second projection incorrectly in the second image, so the slope of the line should actually be steeper and be at ##x=\sqrt{15}## instead of some arbitrary point after ##x=3##.

IMG_0489.JPGIMG_0490.JPG
Denote the transformation ##R_{(u,\beta)}:\mathbb{R}^3\rightarrow \mathbb{R}^3## by the counterclockwise rotation of some ##v\in \mathbb{R}^3## through some angle ##\beta## about the ##u##-axis, where ##u\in \{x,y,z\}## and ##\beta\in [0,2\pi]##. Then the desired transformation is given by:

##T=R_{(z,\theta)}R_{(y,\phi)}R_{(x,\alpha)}R_{(z,-\theta)}R_{(y,-\phi)}##

Anyway, does this look right? If not, did I misunderstand the problem?
 
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  • #2
You have to reverse the order of the ##\theta## and ##\phi## transformations when you are moving the vector back to its original position.
 
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  • #3
Thanks for checking my work.
 

1. What does it mean to rotate a point in 3-space?

Rotating a point in 3-space means to change its position in three-dimensional space by moving it along a circular path around a fixed axis.

2. What is the purpose of rotating a point in 3-space?

Rotating a point in 3-space is often used in computer graphics and animation to create realistic movements and transformations of objects. It is also used in mathematical and scientific calculations to study the effects of rotation on various systems.

3. How is a point rotated in 3-space?

A point in 3-space can be rotated by applying a rotation matrix or quaternion to its coordinates. The rotation is typically described by an angle of rotation and a vector representing the axis of rotation.

4. What is the difference between rotating a point in 3-space and translating it?

Rotating a point in 3-space changes its orientation and position in relation to a fixed axis, while translating it only changes its position in a specific direction. Rotations also preserve the distance between points, while translations can change it.

5. How does the angle of rotation affect the final position of a point?

The angle of rotation determines how far a point will move along the circular path around the axis of rotation. The larger the angle, the further the point will be from its original position. The direction of rotation also plays a role in the final position of the point.

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