THREE DIMENSIONAL GEOMETRY 499

18. Find the distance of the point (– 1, – 5, – 10) from the point of intersection of the
 
line r = 2 iˆ − ˆj + 2 kˆ + λ (3 iˆ + 4 ˆj + 2 kˆ) and the plane r ⋅ (iˆ − ˆj + kˆ) = 5 .
19. Find the vector equation of the line passing through (1, 2, 3) and parallel to the
 
planes r ⋅ (iˆ − ˆj + 2 kˆ) = 5 and r ⋅ (3 iˆ + ˆj + kˆ) = 6 .
20. Find the vector equation of the line passing through the point (1, 2, – 4) and
perpendicular to the two lines:
x − 8 y + 19 z −10 x − 15 y − 29 z − 5 .
= = and = =
3 − 16 7 3 8 −5
21. Prove that if a plane has the intercepts a, b, c and is at a distance of p units from
1 1 1 1
the origin, then 2
+ 2 + 2 = 2 .
a b c p
Choose the correct answer in Exercises 22 and 23.
22. Distance between the two planes: 2x + 3y + 4z = 4 and 4x + 6y + 8z = 12 is
2
(A) 2 units (B) 4 units (C) 8 units (D) units
29
23. The planes: 2x – y + 4z = 5 and 5x – 2.5y + 10z = 6 are
(A) Perpendicular (B) Parallel
 5
(C) intersect y-axis (D) passes through  0,0, 
 4

Summary
 Direction cosines of a line are the cosines of the angles made by the line
with the positive directions of the coordinate axes.
 If l, m, n are the direction cosines of a line, then l2 + m2 + n2 = 1.
 Direction cosines of a line joining two points P(x1, y1, z1) and Q(x2, y2, z2) are
x2 − x1 y2 − y1 z2 − z1
, ,
PQ PQ PQ

( x2 − x1 ) 2 + ( y 2 − y1 ) 2 + (z 2 − z1 )
2
where PQ =
 Direction ratios of a line are the numbers which are proportional to the
direction cosines of a line.
 If l, m, n are the direction cosines and a, b, c are the direction ratios of a line

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500 MATHEMATICS

then
a b c
l= ;m= ;n=
a 2 + b2 + c 2 a 2 + b2 + c2 a 2 + b2 + c2
 Skew lines are lines in space which are neither parallel nor intersecting.
They lie in different planes.
 Angle between skew lines is the angle between two intersecting lines
drawn from any point (preferably through the origin) parallel to each of the
skew lines.
 If l1, m1, n1 and l2, m2, n2 are the direction cosines of two lines; and θ is the
acute angle between the two lines; then
cosθ = | l1l2 + m1m2 + n1n2 |
 If a1, b1, c1 and a2, b2, c2 are the direction ratios of two lines and θ is the
acute angle between the two lines; then
a1 a2 + b1 b2 + c1 c2
cosθ =
a12 + b12 + c12 a22 + b22 + c22
 Vector equation of a line that passes through the given point whose position
  
 
vector is a and parallel to a given vector b is r = a + λ b .
 Equation of a line through a point (x1, y1, z1) and having direction cosines l, m, n is
x − x1 y − y1 z − z1
= =
l m n
 The vector equation of a line which passes through two points whose position
  
  
vectors are a and b is r = a + λ (b − a ) .
 Cartesian equation of a line that passes through two points (x1, y1, z1) and
x − x1 y − y1 z − z1 .
(x2, y2, z2) is = =
x2 − x1 y2 − y1 z2 − z1
     
 If θ is the acute angle between r = a1 + λ b1 and r = a2 + λ b2 , then
 
b1 ⋅ b2
cos θ =  
| b1 | | b2 |
x − x1 y − y1 z − z1 x − x2 y − y2 z − z2
 If
l1
=
m1
=
n1
and
l2
=
m2
=
n2
are the equations of two lines, then the acute angle between the two lines is
given by cos θ = |l1 l2 + m1 m2 + n1 n2 |.

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 Shortest distance between two skew lines is the line segment perpendicular
to both the lines.
     
 Shortest distance between r = a1 + λ b1 and r = a2 + µ b2 is
   
(b1 × b2 ) ⋅ ( a2 – a1 )
 
| b1 × b2 |

x − x1 y − y1 z − z1
 Shortest distance between the lines:
a1
=
b1
=
c1
and

x − x2 y − y2 z − z2
= = is
a2 b2 c2

x2 − x1 y2 − y1 z2 − z1
a1 b1 c1
a2 b2 c2
(b1c2 − b2c1 ) 2 + (c1a2 − c2 a1 ) 2 + (a1b2 − a2b1 ) 2
     
 Distance between parallel lines r = a1 + λ b and r = a2 + µ b is
  
b × ( a2 − a1 )

|b |

 In the vector form, equation of a plane which is at a distance d from the

origin, and n̂ is the unit vector normal to the plane through the origin is

r ⋅ nˆ = d .
 Equation of a plane which is at a distance of d from the origin and the direction
cosines of the normal to the plane as l, m, n is lx + my + nz = d.

 The equation of a plane through a point whose position vector is a and
   
perpendicular to the vector N is ( r − a ) . N = 0 .
 Equation of a plane perpendicular to a given line with direction ratios A, B, C
and passing through a given point (x1, y1, z1) is
A (x – x1) + B (y – y1) + C (z – z1 ) = 0
 Equation of a plane passing through three non collinear points (x1, y1, z1),

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502 MATHEMATICS

(x2, y2, z2) and (x3, y3, z3) is

x − x1 y − y1 z − z1
x2 − x1 y 2 − y1 z 2 − z1
=0
x3 − x1 y3 − y1 z3 − z1

 Vector equation of a plane that contains three non collinear points having
        
position vectors a , b and c is ( r − a ) . [(b − a ) × ( c − a ) ] = 0

 Equation of a plane that cuts the coordinates axes at (a, 0, 0), (0, b, 0) and
(0, 0, c) is

x y z
+ + =1
a b c
 Vector equation of a plane that passes through the intersection of
      
planes r ⋅ n1 = d1 and r ⋅ n2 = d 2 is r ⋅ (n1 + λ n2 ) = d1 + λ d 2 , where λ is any
nonzero constant.
 Cartesian equation of a plane that passes through the intersection of two
given planes A1 x + B1 y + C1 z + D1 = 0 and A2 x + B2 y + C2 z + D2 = 0
is (A1 x + B1 y + C1 z + D1) + λ(A2 x + B2 y + C2 z + D2) = 0.
     
 Two lines r = a1 + λ b1 and r = a2 + µ b2 are coplanar if
   
(a2 − a1 ) ⋅ (b1 × b2 ) = 0

x − x1 y − y1 z − z1 x − x2
 In the cartesian form two lines =
a1
=
b1
=
c1
and
a2

x2 − x1 y2 − y1 z 2 − z1
y – y2 z – z2 a1 b1 c1
= =
b2 C2 are coplanar if a2 b2 c2
= 0.

 
 In the vector form, if θ is the angle between the two planes, r ⋅ n1 = d1 and
 
  | n1 ⋅ n2 |
r ⋅ n2 = d 2 , then θ = cos   .
–1
| n1 | | n2 |
   
 The angle φ between the line r = a + λ b and the plane r ⋅ nˆ = d is

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
b ⋅ nˆ
sin φ = 
| b | | nˆ |
 The angle θ between the planes A1x + B1y + C1z + D1 = 0 and
A2 x + B2 y + C2 z + D2 = 0 is given by

A1 A 2 + B1 B2 + C1 C2
cos θ =
A12 + B12 + C12 A 22 + B22 + C22
 
 The distance of a point whose position vector is a from the plane r ⋅ nˆ = d is

| d − a ⋅ nˆ |
 The distance from a point (x1, y1, z1) to the plane Ax + By + Cz + D = 0 is
Ax1 + By1 + Cz1 + D
.
A 2 + B2 + C 2

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