Calculating the intercepts of a plane

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In summary, the conversation discusses how to find the equation of a plane using Miller indicies. It is mentioned that two unique direction vectors and a point on the plane are needed. The process of finding the direction vectors and the intercepts is explained, and it is noted that this method can be applied to any points. The conversation ends with the acknowledgement that the process may be familiar, but it may have been a while since it was last used.
  • #1
Brewer
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Homework Statement


The actual question relates to Miller indicies, but I can do that part of it. I just can't remember how you figure out where the plane crosses each axis when you have 3 points. For example in my question the plane crosses through (1,1,1) (1,0,0) and (0,0,1). However I can't figure out where the plane will cross the axes. Can anyone tell me how I work this out (a general case, so it can be applied to any points).

Thanks
 
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  • #2
find the equation of the plane - for this you need 2 unique direction vectors and a point through which the plane passes.

you can find the direction vectors by finding the vectors between the points on given plane

then any points which lies on your plane is given by

[tex] (x,y,z) = (x_{0},y_{0},z_{0}) + sd_{1} + td_{2} [/tex]

where s and t are any real number

fidning the intercepts from this point is pretty straightforward
 
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  • #3
Thank you. I do remember it now - its been a few years, but I remember it.
 

1. What is the intercept form of a plane equation?

The intercept form of a plane equation is Ax + By + Cz = 1, where A, B, and C are coefficients and x, y, and z are variables.

2. How do you calculate the x-intercept of a plane?

To calculate the x-intercept of a plane, set y = 0 and z = 0 in the intercept form of the plane equation and solve for x.

3. How do you calculate the y-intercept of a plane?

To calculate the y-intercept of a plane, set x = 0 and z = 0 in the intercept form of the plane equation and solve for y.

4. How do you calculate the z-intercept of a plane?

To calculate the z-intercept of a plane, set x = 0 and y = 0 in the intercept form of the plane equation and solve for z.

5. Can you have more than one intercept for a plane?

Yes, a plane can have multiple intercepts. The number of intercepts depends on the values of the coefficients A, B, and C in the intercept form of the plane equation. If A, B, and C are all nonzero, the plane will have one intercept for each variable. If one of the coefficients is zero, the plane will have only two intercepts.

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