Analytic geometry: equations of planes (checking answers)

In summary: Note that the sphere is tangential to the plane containing the point (0,0,0) and parallel to line p. We will use this diagram to solve part b) of the problem.In summary, the conversation discusses a problem involving a sphere with a given equation and a line that satisfies certain conditions. The problem asks to show that the sphere and the line have exactly one common point and to find the equation of all planes that contain a given point, are parallel to the line, do not contain the line, and touch the sphere at one point. The conversation includes equations and attempts at solving the problem using geometry. The solution to part a) is correct, while the solution to part b) needs some adjustments and simplifications to
  • #1
Matejxx1
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1

Homework Statement


Let S be a sphere with the equation ##(x-2)^2+y^2+z^2=2 ## and let p a line which satisfies the condition ## p \in (\Pi \cap \Sigma) ## where ##\Pi## and ##\Sigma## are planes with equations:
##\Pi :x+z=2##
##\Sigma: 5x-2z=3##
a) Show that S and p have exactly one common point
b) find the equation of all planes that contain the point ##(0,0,0)##, are parallel to p , do not contain p and touch s at one point

Homework Equations


plane equation: ## ax+by+cz+d=0##
line equation : ##\frac{x-x_1}{a}=\frac{y-y_1}{b}=\frac{z-z_1}{c}=\theta##
distance from a point to a plane : ## d=\left | \frac{ax_0+by_0+cz_0+d}{\sqrt{a^2+b^2+c^2}}\right |## where ##x_0,y_0,z_0## are the coordinates of a point and a,b,c are the directional vectors of a plane

The Attempt at a Solution


Hi I would really appreciate if some could check my answers of this problem (especially b I think I got that one wrong). Also we just started learning Latex in our uni so I apologize for any mistakes
so I though a) was pretty easy. What I did was:
I calculated the directional vector of the line which is equal to ##\vec{p}=\vec{n}_\Pi \times \vec{n}_\Sigma=\begin{bmatrix}
i&j&k\\
1&0&1\\
5&0&-2
\end{bmatrix}=(0,7,0)=(0,1,0)
##
so now I had the directional vector I just needed a point which I got by solving ##x+z=2## and ##5x-2z=3## and got that x=1 and z=1 so :##p:\frac{x}{0}=1=\frac{z}{0}## and ##y=\theta##
now I just pluged in x=1, y=##\theta## and z=1 into the sphere equation and got only one common point ##(1,0,1)## can anybody check if this is correct?b was kinda harder and I think I got it wrong because the answers I got were not pretty
b)
I know that the plane has the point ##(0,0,0)## if we plug this into the plane equation we get ##a(0)+b(0)+c(0)+d=0## which must mean that d =0
then we also know that since the plane is parallel to the line the scalar product of the lines directional vector and the planes directional vector must be 0 therefore ##(\vec{a},\vec{b},\vec{c})\cdot(0,1,0)=0\Rightarrow b=0##
so the plane equation know looks like ##ax+cz=0##
then we also know that the since the plane touches the sphere the shortest distance from the plane to the center is the radius so ## \sqrt{2}=\left | \frac{2a}{\sqrt{a^2+c^2}}\right |## and since ##\sqrt{a^2+c^2}## is the directional vector its length is 1 that means that ##a=\pm\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}## and since ##\sqrt{a^2+c^2}=1## that means that ##c=\pm\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}##
so in the end I got 4 different equations:
##\begin{align}
\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}x+\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}z=0\nonumber\\
-\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}x+\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}z=0\nonumber\\
\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}x-\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}z=0\nonumber\\
-\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}x-\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}z=0\nonumber\\
\end{align}##
Which is totally weird to me since when I tried to visualize the problem I could only find 2 possible solutions at maximum . So having 4 just seems wrong to me
thanks for any help
 
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  • #2
Your answer for a) is correct. For b) you went wrong with the scalar products being 0. That's for perpendicular vectors.
 
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  • #3
But if a line is parallel to a plane doesn't it mean that is then perpendicular to the normal vector of a plane? or am I missing something
 
  • #4
Matejxx1 said:
But if a line is parallel to a plane doesn't it mean that is then perpendicular to the normal vector of a plane? or am I missing something
Yes, sorry, I missed what you were doing.

I don't understand what you are doing with the sphere in part b).
 
  • #5
PeroK said:
Yes, sorry, I missed what you were doing.

I don't understand what you doing with the sphere in part b).
sorry I just noticed I forgot to write something. I forgot to write that the plane should also touch the sphere S at some point .
thanks for pointing it out
 
  • #6
Matejxx1 said:
sorry I just noticed I forgot to write something. I forgot to write that the plane should also touch the sphere S at some point .
thanks for pointing it out
You need a diagram. Using geometry rather than algebra might be easier here.
 
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  • #7
I'm not sure what you mean. At school we've pretty much only done problems this way .
 
  • #8
Matejxx1 said:
I'm not sure what you mean. At school we've pretty much only done problems this way .
Are you able to visualise this problem at all? Or is it just some equations?
 
  • #9
1 001.jpg

I hope you can see from the picture, but that is how I envision the problem to look like. And I'm am asked to find ##\tau_1## and ##\tau_2##
 
  • #10
For example, for part a) you could have recognised that those are vertical planes, drawn the lines in the ##x-z## plane, found the point of intersection and ##p## is the vertical line through that point.
 
  • #11
I can't see your diagram very well, but it probably doesn't matter. That's geometry! You can solve part b) by using similar geometrical arguments to simplify the algebra required.

For example, you did a lot of work in part b) to show that a plane parallel to a vertical line is itself vertical!
 
  • #12
I just looked back at your first post, knowing now about touching the sphere. You got the right answer! Just simplify those four equations and you'll see there are just two really.
 
  • #13
PeroK said:
I just looked back at your first post, knowing now about touching the sphere. You got the right answer! Just simplify those four equations and you'll see there are just two really.
@Matejxx1
One of the planes contains the line p. The problem asked
find the equation of all planes that contain the point (0,0,0), are parallel to p , do not contain p and touch s at one point
The figure shows the projection of the set-up onto the (x,z) plane.

upload_2016-11-19_5-50-23.png
 
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1. What is analytic geometry?

Analytic geometry is a branch of mathematics that combines algebra and geometry to study geometric shapes and their properties using coordinates.

2. What are the equations of planes?

The equation of a plane is a linear equation in three variables that represents a flat surface in three-dimensional space. It is usually written in the form: Ax + By + Cz + D = 0, where A, B, and C are the coefficients of the variables and D is a constant term.

3. How do you check if an equation is a valid equation of a plane?

To check if an equation is a valid equation of a plane, you can use the following criteria: (1) The equation must contain three variables (x, y, z) raised to the first power only. (2) The coefficients of the variables (A, B, C) must not all be zero. (3) The equation must have a constant term (D). (4) The equation must satisfy the given points in the plane.

4. What are the methods for solving equations of planes?

The most common methods for solving equations of planes are: (1) Substitution method, where you substitute the given points into the equation and solve for the unknown variables. (2) Elimination method, where you eliminate one variable by combining two equations and solve for the remaining variables. (3) Graphing method, where you graph the equation and find the point(s) of intersection with the other equations.

5. Is there a specific order for solving equations of planes?

There is no specific order for solving equations of planes. However, it is recommended to use a method that is most convenient for the given equation and data. It is also important to check the answer by substituting it back into the original equation to ensure its validity.

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