Find the minimal distance between any point on the sphere

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around finding the minimal distance between any point on two spheres, one centered at (2,1,3) with a radius of 1, and the other centered at (-3,2,4) with a radius of 4.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the method of calculating the distance between the centers of the spheres and considering the radii in the context of finding the minimum distance.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided guidance on how to approach the problem, while others express a need to understand the reasoning behind the suggested method. There is an acknowledgment of the urgency due to upcoming exams.

Contextual Notes

One participant mentions having a math exam soon, indicating a time constraint that may affect their engagement with the problem.

helix999
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How can we find the minimal distance between any point on the sphere whose centre is 2,1,3 and radius is 1 and any point on the sphere centred at -3,2,4 and radius is 4?


is there any formula for finding this minimum distance ?
 
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find the distance between the centres, and subtract the sum of radii of the spheres...
 


thnx aniketp...that was helpful...i got my answer
 


no problem, but i hope you understood WHY this works.
 


well...yes...i have a math exam tomorrow...have to finish a LOT of things
 

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