Simple Hyperplane Equation - What am I Missing?

  • Context: Undergrad 
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around finding the equation of a hyperplane in R4 that passes through a specific point and is normal to a given vector. Participants are exploring the mathematical formulation and potential errors in calculations related to this problem.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant presents a problem involving the hyperplane equation and expresses confusion over the value of k obtained from substituting a point into the equation.
  • Another participant suggests that there may be a typo in the problem statement.
  • A third participant proposes an alternative formulation of the hyperplane equation using the dot product and arrives at a different expression, questioning the presence of a typo as well.
  • Several participants agree that the presence of a typo is likely, especially since a subsequent similar problem yields a correct answer.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that there may be a typo in the problem, but there is no consensus on the exact nature of the error or the correct value of k.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved aspects regarding the calculations and the assumptions made about the problem statement, particularly concerning the values derived from the hyperplane equation.

cowmoo32
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I'm trying to learn linear algebra using Schaum's outline and this is one of the practice problems:

Find and equation of the hyperplane H in R4 that passes through P(3,-4,1,-2) and is normal to u=[2,5,-6,-3]

The equation is in the form 2x1+5x2-6x3-3x4 = k

They say to substitute P into the equation to obtain k=-26 but I keep coming up with k=-14. This is simple math but I'm clearly missing something. Where am I going wrong?
 
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It's probably a typo.
 
Let X be a point in the hyperplane. Then u.(X-P)=0 should be your equation.

So, 2(x1 - 3) + 5(x2 + 4) - 6(x3 - 1) - 3(x4 + 2) = 0

2x1 + 5x2 - 6x3 - 3x4 + 14 = 0

Same answer you get. Is there a typo somewhere?
 
There has to be a typo because the next problem is similar and the answer there is correct.
 

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