Porisma

Worked solution

Classify a line relative to a plane before solving

Determine whether each line intersects the plane at a unique point, lies on it, or does not intersect it. If there is a unique intersection, find that point and the angle between the line and plane. All parameters are real.

(a) Π:r⋅(2,1,−3)=5\Pi:\mathbf r\cdot(2,1,-3)=5, l:r=(3,−1,1)+λ(−2,1,−3)l:\mathbf r=(3,-1,1)+\lambda(-2,1,-3).

(b) Π:r⋅(2,1,−3)=5\Pi:\mathbf r\cdot(2,1,-3)=5, l:r=(2,1,0)+λ(1,1,1)l:\mathbf r=(2,1,0)+\lambda(1,1,1).

CJC · Discussion · Question 2

Answer

(a) Unique point (2,−1/2,−1/2)(2,-1/2,-1/2); angle 25.4∘25.4^\circ. (b) The line lies on the plane.

(a) Check the direction, then substitute

With normal n=(2,1,−3)\mathbf n=(2,1,-3) and direction d=(−2,1,−3)\mathbf d=(-2,1,-3), n⋅d=−4+1+9=6≠0\mathbf n\cdot\mathbf d=-4+1+9=6\ne0, so there is a unique intersection. Substitution gives 6−4λ−1+λ−3+9λ=56-4\lambda-1+\lambda-3+9\lambda=5, hence 6λ=36\lambda=3, λ=1/2\lambda=1/2. The point is (2,−1/2,−1/2)(2,-1/2,-1/2).

How did this part go?

(a) Take the complementary angle

Both normal and direction have magnitude 14\sqrt{14}. Their angle is cos⁡−1(6/14)=1.1279\cos^{-1}(6/14)=1.1279 rad (5 s.f.), or 64.623∘64.623^\circ (3 d.p.). The line–plane angle is π/2−cos⁡−1(3/7)=sin⁡−1(3/7)≈0.443\pi/2-\cos^{-1}(3/7)=\sin^{-1}(3/7)\approx0.443 rad (3 s.f.), or 25.4∘25.4^\circ (1 d.p.).

How did this part go?

(b) Distinguish containment from disjoint parallelism

(2,1,−3)⋅(1,1,1)=0(2,1,-3)\cdot(1,1,1)=0, so the line direction is parallel to the plane. Its base point satisfies (2,1,0)⋅(2,1,−3)=5(2,1,0)\cdot(2,1,-3)=5. Therefore every point of the line lies on the plane; there is no unique intersection.

How did this part go?

Common mistakes

A zero direction-normal dot product does not distinguish a contained line from a disjoint parallel line.

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