MTH 234 – Chapter 12

Vectors and Geometry of Space

Compiled by Ryan Maccombs

Contents

1 Three Dimensional Coordinate System 2

1.1 Space and Points in Space – Video Before Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 Surfaces in Space – During Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3 Spheres in Space – During Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2 Vectors 8
2.1 Basic Properties of Vectors – Video Before Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.2 Basic Vector Operations – Video After Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

3 The Dot Product 13

3.1 Definitions and Warmup – Video Before Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.2 Dot Product Properties and Applications – During Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.3 Projections – During Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

4 The Cross Product 19

4.1 Review and Introduction of the Cross Product – Video Before Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.2 Properties and Applications of the Cross Product – During Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

5 Equations of Lines and Planes (Part A) 24

5.1 Introduction to Lines in Space – Video Before Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
5.2 Parametrizations, Line Segments, and More Examples – During Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
5.3 Distance from a Point to a Line – During Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

5 Equations of Lines and Planes (Part B) 30

5.4 Introduction to Planes in Space – Video Before Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
5.5 Double the Planes, Double the Fun – During Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
5.6 Distance from a Point to a Plane – During Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

6 Cylinders and Quadric Surfaces 36

6.1 Definitions Galore! – Video Before Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
6.2 Battling Quadric Surfaces – During Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

1 Three Dimensional Coordinate System

1.1 Space and Points in Space – Video Before Class
Objective(s):
ˆ Upgrade from two dimensional system to a three dimension system.

ˆ Comprehend and be able to visualize our three dimensional system.

ˆ Plot points in space.

Definition(s) 1.1.

(a) The coordinate axes consist of the x-axis ,y-axis ,and z-axis . Which all meet at a

common point and are perpendicular to one another.

(b) The common meeting point of the coordinate axes is called the origin .

(c) The direction of the z-axis is determined by the right-hand rule .

curl the fingers of your right hand around the z-axis. If first you fingers hit the positive x-axis then after 90 deg your

fingers hit the positive y-axis then your thumb is pointing in the direction of the positive z-axis.

(d) The three coordinate axes determine three coordinate planes . The xy-plane contains the

x and y axes and so on.

(e) The coordinate planes divide space into 8 regions called octants .

(f) The first octant is in the foreground, determined by the positive axes.

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

Just as points in a plane are determined by an (x, y) ordered pair, points in space are determined by an (x, y, z) ordered

triple. If the point P is determined by (1, 2, 3) then 1 is the x−coordinate, 2 is the y−coordinate, and 3 is the z−coordinate.

Example 1.2. Graph P (1, −2, 3) on the coordinate axes below. z

Although it is not obvious right now we will become very interested in projections.

Example 1.3. Below the point P (2, 4, 3) is graphed. Graph the projections into the xy-plane (call it Q), the xz-plane (call

it R), and the yz-plane (call it S) then write the coordinates for each of the projections.
z

Definition(s) 1.4. The Cartesian product R × R × R = {(x, y, z)|x, y, z ∈ R} is the

set of all ordered triples of real numbers and is denoted by R3 . It is called a

three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system.

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

1.2 Surfaces in Space – During Class

Objective(s):
ˆ Sketch simple surfaces in space.

ˆ Determine when a point lies on a specified surface.

Now that we can draw points let’s draw lots of them! So many that we start making some surfaces. To help us upgrade let’s

start by thinking about what it takes for a point to be on a surface... or a curve in R2 .

Example 1.5.

(a) Determine if the point (1, 4) is on the line x − 4y = 1

(b) Determine if the point (1, 4, 2) is on the plane x − 4y + 8z = 1

(c) Determine if the point (1, −3, 0) is on the surface xyz + x2 = y

Example 1.6.

(a) Graph the equation y = 1 on the xy-plane. Describe it in words as best as possible.

(b) Graph the equation y = 1 in R3 . Describe it in words as best as possible.

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

Example 1.7.

(a) Graph the equation x2 + y 2 = 4 in the xy-plane. Describe it in words as best as possible.

(b) Graph the equation x2 + y 2 = 4 in R3 . Describe it in words as best as possible.

(c) Graph the equation z = y 2 in R3 . Describe it in words as best as possible.

Equations like these that are missing a variable are quite nice and will get a special name in 12.6. They will continue to come

up throughout the course

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

1.3 Spheres in Space – During Class

Objective(s):
ˆ Extend our well known distance equation from 2 variables to 3 variables.

ˆ Draw a sphere in space.

ˆ Be able to describe a sphere given its equation.

There will be several times in this course where we can upgrade from a well known 2 dimensional equation / system by

“sprinkling in some z’s”. This is indeed one of those times

Definition(s) 1.8. The distance |P1 P2 | between the points P (x1 , y1 , z1 ) and P (x2 , y2 , z2 ) is given by:

p
|P1 P2 | = (x2 − x1 )2 + (y2 − y1 )2 + (z2 − z1 )2

Example 1.9. Calculate the distance between (1, 2, 3) and (3, −1, 0).

And with 3 dimensional distance we can define the set of all points equidistant from a center point (aka a sphere )

Definition(s) 1.10. An equation of a sphere with center C(h, k, l) and radius r is:

(x − h)2 + (y − k)2 + (z − l)2 = r2

Example 1.11 (Now you try! WW 12.1.3). Find an equation of a sphere with radius 2 centered at the point (1, −2, 3).

This type of problem is relatively straight forward but we can turn it around to make a harder problem.

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

Example 1.12. Describe the surface x2 + y 2 + z 2 = 1 in words as best as possible.

Example 1.13. Describe the surface x2 − 2x + y 2 + z 2 + 4z = 4 in words as best as possible.

We will always try to get as far as possible in class. Completed notes will be available on the course site for the “During
Class” portions of the notes. The filled in video notes are available in the video!

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

2 Vectors
2.1 Basic Properties of Vectors – Video Before Class
Objective(s):

ˆ Comprehend what vectors are from their definitions and pictures.

ˆ Define and determine the length of a vector.

ˆ Define what it means for two vectors to be equal.

Definition(s) 2.1.

(a) A vector is used to indicate a quantity that has both magnitude and direction

(such as displacement or velocity )

(b) Suppose a particle moves along a line segment form point A to point B. The corresponding

displacement vector v has initial point A (the tail) and

−−→
terminal point B (the tip). We indicate this vector by writing v = AB.

(c) Its length is denoted |AB|.

(a) If A = (x1 , y1 ) and B = (x2 , y2 ) then:

p
|AB| = (x2 − x1 )2 + (y2 − y1 )2

(b) If A = (x1 , y1 , z1 ) and B = (x2 , y2 , z2 ) then:

p
|AB| = (x2 − x1 )2 + (y2 − y1 )2 + (z2 − z1 )2

(d) Two vectors are considered equal if

they have the same length and direction .

Picture:

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

Now since vectors are considered equal so long as the same direction and length (or magnitude) we might as well move one of

the points to be in a convenient location. In particular let’s move the initial point to the origin .

Definition(s) 2.2.

(a) If a is a two-dimensional vector with initial point at the origin and terminal point P (a1 , a2 ) then
−−→
a = OP = ha1 , a2 i is the position vector of P .

(b) If a is a three-dimensional vector with initial point at the origin and terminal point P (a1 , a2 , a3 ) then
−−→
a = OP = ha1 , a2 , a3 i is the position vector of P .

Example 2.3.

−−→
In each case find a position vector a so that a = AB. Graph both on the coordinate axes to verify that they are equal.

A(1, 2), B(−1, 0) A(2, 1, 0), B(−1, 2, −3) A(−1, 4, −5), B(0, 0, 0)

y z z

y y
x

x x

//

Definition(s) 2.4. The length or magnitude of a is denoted by kak or |a| is given by:

p
(a) If a = ha1 , a2 i then |a| = kak = a21 + a22

p
(b) If a = ha1 , a2 , a3 i then |a| = kak = a21 + a22 + a23

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

2.2 Basic Vector Operations – Video After Class

Objective(s):
ˆ Define vector addition and scalar multiplication and be able to visualize their actions.

ˆ Develop some properties of vector addition and scalar multiplication.

ˆ Get exposure to types of problems that can be asked regarding vector addition and scalar multiplication.

Now that we have these new mathematical objects we want to know how they interact with each other and real numbers

(also called scalars ).

Definition(s) 2.5. Let a = ha1 , a2 , a3 i and b = hb1 , b2 , b3 i be vectors and c be a scalar. Then:

a + b = ha1 + b1 , a2 + b2 , a3 + b3 i

ca = hca1 , ca2 , ca3 i

Similarly for 2 dimensional vectors (or really any dimension we want).

Geometrically vector addition is very elegant: Scalar multiplication acts as expected:

b
b
+
a

b
2a
a a −a

Example 2.6. Consider the vectors a = h1, 3i and b = h−3, 2i.

(a) Evaluate a + b

(b) Evaluate −3a + 2b

(c) Sketch a, b, a + b, and a − b on the graph to the right

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

Now lets see how magnitude is influenced by scalar multiplication:

Theorem 2.7. |c · a| = |c| · |a|

Proof:

|c · a| = |hca1 , ca2 , ca3 i|

q
= c2 a21 + c2 a22 + c2 a23
q
= c2 (a21 + a22 + a23 )
q
= |c| a21 + a22 + a23

= |c| · kak

Definition(s) 2.8. A vector a is called a unit vector if it has length 1 .

Example 2.9. Find a unit vector in the same direction as a = h1, 2, 3i.

Example 2.10. Find a vector of length 3 in the direction opposite of a = h−2, 4, 1i.

a
Theorem 2.11. Suppose that a 6= 0, then: is a unit vector in the direction of a.
|a|

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

Theorem 2.12 (Properties of Vector Operations).

Let a, b, c be vectors and c, d be scalars:

(a) a + b = b + a (f) (a + b) + c = a + (b + c)

(b) a + 0 = a
(g) a + (−a) = 0
(c) 0a = 0
(h) 1a = a
(d) c(da) = (cd)a

(e) (c + d)a = ca + da (i) c(a + b) = ca + cb

Definition(s) 2.13. The standard base vectors are:

i = h1, 0, 0i, j = h0, 1, 0i, k = h0, 0, 1i

Note: The standard base vectors are all unit vectors .

Any vector a= ha1 , a2 , a3 i can be written as a linear combination of the standard unit vectors

a = ha1 , a2 , a3 i

= ha1 , 0, 0i + h0, a2 , 0i + h0, 0, a3 i

= a1 h1, 0, 0i + a2 h0, 1, 0i + a3 h0, 0, 1i

= a1 i + a2 j + a3 k

Therefore we call a1 the i-component of the vector a, a2 the j-component of the vector a, and a3 the k-component of

the vector a.

Example 2.14. Write the following vectors as a linear combination of the standard unit vectors

(a) a = h5, 2, −4i

(b) b = h0, π, 100i

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

3 The Dot Product

3.1 Definitions and Warmup – Video Before Class
Objective(s):

ˆ Define the dot product

ˆ Understand what the dot product is used for.

ˆ Get a little practice.

Interestingly enough there are 2 different (conventional) ways to multiply vectors together. Today we will talk about the Dot

Product which is largely used to find the angle between two vectors.

So lets take our two vectors here a and b and move z

them so that they have the same initial point. And

draw in angle θ . Our goal is to find θ .

Let’s add one more ”natural” line to complete

the triangle . Call this vector c. Can anyone tell

me what c is in terms of a,b ? Hint: it’s not a + b.

Now lets consider the Law of Cosines to y

finish it out.

2 2 2
|c| = |a| + |b| − 2 |a| |b| cos θ
2 2 2
|b-a| = |a| + |b| − 2 |a| |b| cos θ

(b1 − a1 )2 + (b2 − a2 )2 + (b3 − a3 )2 = a21 + a22 + a23 + b21 + b22 + b23 − 2 |a| |b| cos θ

b21 − 2a1 b1 + a21 + b22 − 2a2 b2 + a22 + b23 − 2a3 b3 + a23 = a21 + a22 + a23 + b21 + b22 + b23 − 2 |a| |b| cos θ

−2a1 b1 − 2a2 b2 − 2a3 b3 = −2 |a| |b| cos θ

a1 b1 + a2 b2 + a3 b3 = |a| |b| cos θ

Theorem 3.1. The angle between two vectors a and b is given by:

 
a1 b1 + a2 b2 + a3 b3
θ = cos−1
|a| |b|

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

Definition(s) 3.2.

a1 b1 + a2 b2 + a3 b3 = a · b

This is called the dot product of vectors a = ha1 , a2 , a3 i and b = hb1 , b2 , b3 i.

Theorem 3.3. Two vectors a and b are perpendicular (or orthogonal) iff:

a·b=0

Please notice that when you take the dot product between two vectors you get a scalar ! Not a vector !

Example 3.4. Find a · b for the following vectors. Determine if the vectors are perpendicular or not.

(a) a = h1, 0, 1i and b = h−1, 3, 1i

(b) a = 3i − 2j + k and b = 2j + 4k

−−→ −−→
(c) a = AB and b = CB where A = (3, −2), B = (5, 6), and C = (−1, −3)

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

3.2 Dot Product Properties and Applications – During Class

Objective(s):
ˆ Sketch simple surfaces in space.

ˆ Determine when a point lies on a specified surface.

Theorem 3.5. This is the exact same as Theorem 3.1 but with dot product notation.

The angle between two vectors a and b is given by:

 
−1 a·b
θ = cos
|a| |b|

or equivalently,

a · b = |a| |b| cos θ

Example 3.6. Find the angle between the following vectors.

(a) a = h1, 0, 1i and b = h−1, 3, 2i

(b) a = i − j + 3k and b = 2j + 4k

So now that we have this great new form of multiplication between vectors we have to wonder what properties of

multiplication hold!?

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

Theorem 3.7 (Properties of the Dot Product). Let a, b, c be vectors and c a scalar:

(a) a · b =b · a (d) 0 · a =0

(b) (ca) · b =c(b · a) 2

(e) a · a =|a|

(c) a · (b+c) =a · b + a · c

Proof of ??
And now a nice physical application, work. Force does work.

Recall that if we apply a constant force then we have the

formula

W ork = (F orce)(Distance)

And before we had it where force and distance were just num-

bers so you used regular old multiplication. However we can

consider F =Force and D =Displacement to be vectors. The

the constant (or scalar) W =Work is given by the formula:

W =F·D

Example 3.8. A box is pushed with a constant force of F = h1, 2, 3i Newtons. How much work is done in moving the box

from (1, 0, 1) to (2, 1, 1)?

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

3.3 Projections – During Class

Objective(s):
ˆ Define and calculate Scalar and Vector projections.

ˆ Define and calculate orthogonal projections.

ˆ Be able to visualize and interpret how projections can decompose vectors.

The first projection we will learn about is scalar projection. It answers how much of the vector is in the same direction? Let’s

do three mini examples before I give the formal definition.

Example 3.9. Consider the vector a = h1, 2i. Sketch it and answer the following questions.

(a) How much of the vector (b) How much of the vector (c) How much of the vector

b = h3, 6i b = h2, −1i b = h−2, 4i

is in the same direction as a? is in the same direction as a? is in the same direction as a?

Definition(s) 3.10. The scalar projection of b onto a is notated by compa (b) and can determined by:

a·b
compa (b) =
|a|

While this is a good start it is a little awkward. It seems the questions of “How much of the vector is in the same direction? ”

could be better answered with a vector. Which leads to the next projection

Definition(s) 3.11. The Vector projection of b onto a is notated by proja (b) and can determined by:

 
a·b a a·b
proja (b) = = 2 a
|a| |a| |a|

Which is all well and nice but what does it look like?

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

Picture:

And so to really have a full picture we define the other side of this triangle.

Definition(s) 3.12. The Orthogonal projection of b onto a is notated by ortha (b) and can de-

termined by:

ortha (b) = b − proja (b)

Note proja (b) is parallel to a and ortha (b) is orthogonal to a .

Example 3.13. Consider the vector u = h5, 3i and the vector v = h2, −1i.

(a) Sketch a on the axes to the right.

(b) Calculate projv (u) and sketch it on the axes as well.

(c) Calculate orthv (u) and sketch it too.

Example 3.14. Consider a = −5i + 5j + 2k and b = −i + 8j − k.

Calculate the following scalar and vector projections:

(a) proja b

(b) compb a

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

4 The Cross Product

4.1 Review and Introduction of the Cross Product – Video Before Class
Objective(s):

ˆ Define the cross product

ˆ Review how to find determinants of 3x3 matrices.

ˆ Use the cross product to find a vector that is perpendicular to two other vectors.

The goal of this class is given two non-zero non-parallel vectors a,b to be able to find a vector n that is

perpendicular to both a and b.

Definition(s) 4.1. The Cross Product of a = a1 i + a2 j + a3 k and b = b1 i + b2 j + b3 k is given by the determinant:

i j k
a×b= a1 a2 a3

b1 b2 b3

Example 4.2. Evaluate h1, 2, 3i × h−2, 1, 0i

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Theorem 4.3.

(a) The vector a × b is orthogonal to both a and b.

(b) If θ is the angle between a and b (so 0 ≤ θ ≤ π), then

|a × b| = kakkbk sin θ

(c) Two nonzero vectors a and b are parallel if and only if

|a × b| = 0

Heart of the Proofs:

(a) Apply dot product with both a and b and see that they are 0 .

(b) Expand |a × b|2 carefully and group cleverly to get |a × b|2 = kak2 kbk2 − (a · b)2 .

(c) Comes from (b).

Example 4.4. Find a vector u that satisfies u · h9, 3, 1i = 0 and u · h−2, 4, 0i = 0

Theorem 4.5 (Direction of the Cross Product). Take two non-zero

non-parallel vectors a, b. Then the direction of a × b is determined by

the right-hand rule . That is: the way your right thumb

points when your right-hand fingers curl through the angle θ from a to b.

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4.2 Properties and Applications of the Cross Product – During Class

Objective(s):
ˆ Determine and utilize properties of the cross product.

ˆ Use the cross product to calculate areas of triangles and parallelograms.

ˆ Apply the cross product to the physical application of torque.

Example 4.6. Find the cross product a × b and verify that it is orthogonal to both a = h1, 1, −1i and b = h2, 4, 6i.

Theorem 4.7 (Properties of the Cross Product). Let a, b, c be vectors and r, s are scalars:

(a) a × b =−(b × a) (d) a × (b + c) =a × b + a × c

(b) (ra) × (sb) =(rs)(a × b)

(e) (b + c) × a =b × a + c × a

(c) 0 × a =0

Example 4.8. Given that h1, 1, 0i × h3, 4, −2i = h−2, 2, 1i quickly calculate the following:

(a) h3, 4, −2i × h1, 1, 0i

(b) h4, 4, 0i × h3, 4, −2i

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Recall from geometry that a parallelogram with side lengths x and y with the angle θ between its sides has area:

A = xy sin θ. Translated into MTH 234 notation:

Theorem 4.9. The parallelogram formed by vectors a and b with angle θ between

them is given by:

b
Area of k-ogram = kakkbk sin θ = |a × b| θ
a

Example 4.10. Find the area of the parallelogram generated by u = i − j and v = j + 3k.

Example 4.11. Find the area of the triangle with vertices P (1, 0, 1), Q(−2, 1, 3), and R(4, 2, 5).

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Example 4.12. Find two unit vectors orthogonal to both j − k and i + j.

So our application to the real world of the day is Torque! Here is the picture

Recall from you favorite physics class that

T orque = (F orce)(Distance from pivot).

So long as the force is being applied perpendicular to the distance

vector. But what if its not?

The magnitude of the torque vector is = |r| |F| sin θ

And what about direction?

The torque vector is of course given by: (|r| |F| sin θ)n = r × F

Example 4.13. Find the magnitude of the torque generated by force F at the pivot point A in the figure below

A B
5 ft

110◦

F = 10 lb

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5 Equations of Lines and Planes (Part A)

5.1 Introduction to Lines in Space – Video Before Class
Objective(s):

ˆ Define lines in space several different ways and learn some basic terminology.

ˆ Determine when lines are parallel.

ˆ Determine when lines intersect or not.

Theorem 5.1. Vectors v and w are parallel if and only if v = kw for some scalar k.

Alternatively if v = hv1 , v2 , v3 i and w = hw1 , w2 , w3 i then v and w are parallel if and only if

v1 v2 v3
= =
w1 w2 w3

Definition(s) 5.2.

(a) A vector equation for the line L through P0 (x0 , y0 , z0 ) parallel to v is given by:

r(t) = r0 + tv, −∞<t<∞

where r0 is the position vector of P0 .

(b) t is called the parameter .

(c) Alternatively if r0 = hx0 , y0 , z0 i and v = ha, b, ci. we can write a line in parametric equation

r(t) = hx0 + at, y0 + bt, z0 + cti, −∞<t<∞

(d) a, b, and c are called direction numbers of L.

(e) Finally we can chose to solve each of the parametric equations for t to get the

symmetric equations of L given by:

x − x0 y − y0 z − z0
t= = =
a b c

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Definition(s) 5.3.

(a) Suppose r(t) = r0 + tv and s(t) = s0 + tw intersect. Then the angle between them is the same as the angle between

v and w . Likewise r(t) and s(t) are parallel if and only if v and w are parallel .

(b) Lines that do not intersect and are not parallel are called skew lines .

We don’t really have skew lines in 2D though. Let’s take a closer look at them here: https://tinyurl.com/mth234-002

Example 5.4. Consider each pair of lines. Determine if

(i) They intersect (by finding the point of intersection).

(ii) They don’t intersect and are parallel.

(iii) They don’t intersect and are skew.

(a) r1 (t) = h3, 1, 0i + th2, 0, 1i and r2 (s) = h1, −2, 5i + sh−1, 3, −2i

(b) r1 (t) = h1 + 2t, 9 − 5t, ti and r2 (s) = h3 − s, 3 + 5s, 2si

(c) L1 : x(t) = t + 3, y(t) = −2t − 5, z(t) = 4

L2 : x(s) = 3 − 2s, y(s) = 4s, z(s) = −9

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5.2 Parametrizations, Line Segments, and More Examples – During Class

Objective(s):
ˆ Determine when two parametrizations describe the same line.

ˆ Create a way to parametrize a piece of a line.

ˆ Gain more exposure to types of line problems that can be asked.

Example 5.5. One small annoyance with parametrizing lines is that the parametrization is not unique. Using a graphing

utility show that

L1 : x = 1 + 2t y = 5 − 2t z = 6t

L2 : x = 3 − s y =3+s z = 6 − 3s

are the same line

Theorem 5.6. Two parametrizations r1 (t) and r2 (s) describe the same line if they are parallel

and intersecting .

Now let’s use Theorem 5.6 to show that L1 and L2 describe the same line in Example 5.5.

Theorem 5.7 (Equation of a line segment). The line segment from r0 to r1 is give by the vector equation

r(t) = (1 − t)r0 + tr1 0≤t≤1

Example 5.8. Find an equation for the line segment from (1, 2, 3) to (5, 2, 0).

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Example 5.9.

(a) Find parametric equations of the line that passes through the points A(2, 3, 4) and B(1, 0, −1).

(b) At what point does the line intersect the xy-plane.

Example 5.10. The lines r1 (t) = h1 + t, 1 − t, 2ti and r2 (s) = h2 − s, s, 2i intersect at (2, 0, 2).

Determine the angle between the lines.

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5.3 Distance from a Point to a Line – During Class

Objective(s):
ˆ Develop a formula to determine the distance from a point to a line.

ˆ Utilize the newly developed formula to calculate the distance from a point to a line in space!

Now we have lines, we have points, lets talk about distance!

Here is a pretty picture

d
P sin θ =
|SP |

|SP | sin θ = d
|v||SP | sin θ
d =d
|v|
S P→
−

−→
|v × SP |
=d
θ
|v|
S v

Theorem 5.11. The distance from a Point P to a line through S parallel to v is given by

−→
|v × SP |
d=
|v|

And this is a perfectly good Theorem but that triangle looks like something we have seen before when we were talking about

projections. So in fact....

Theorem 5.12. The distance from a Point P to a line through S parallel to v is given by

−→
d = |orthv (SP )|

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Example 5.13. Find the distance between the point (0, 1, 0) and the line containing the points (1, 1, 0) and (2, −4, 1).

(a) By using Theorem 5.11

(b) By using Theorem 5.12

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5 Equations of Lines and Planes (Part B)

5.4 Introduction to Planes in Space – Video Before Class
Objective(s):

ˆ Define planes and determine their equations.

ˆ Find where lines and planes intersect.

ˆ Find an equation of a plane given three points.

Definition(s) 5.17.

(a) If n = ha, b, ci is a specified vector, r0 = hx0 , y0 , z0 i is the position vector for the point P0 (x0 , y0 , z0 ), and r = hx, y, zi

a vector of variables then

n · (r − r0 ) = 0

Is the set of all vectors with the initial point r0 perpendicular to n. More commonly this is the vector equation for

the plane perpendicular to n through the point P0 (x0 , y0 , z0 ) .

(b) Alternatively this plane can be expressed as:

a(x − x0 ) + b(y − y0 ) + c(z − z0 ) = 0

(c) Finally if we collect all the non-variable terms on one side we can write:

ax + by + cz = d

Example 5.18. Find an equation of a plane orthogonal to h1, 4, −2i and contains the point (0, −3, 1).

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

Example 5.19. Find where the line r(t) = h3 − t, 2 + t, 5ti intersects the plane x − y + 2z = 6

Example 5.20. Find an equation of the plane that contains all three points (1, 0, 0), (0, 1, 0) and (0, 1, 3).

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5.5 Double the Planes, Double the Fun – During Class

Objective(s):
ˆ Determine when two planes are parallel.

ˆ If two planes intersect find the line of intersection.

ˆ Calculate the angle of intersection between two planes.

Let’s take a look at how planes interact: https://tinyurl.com/mth234-003

Definition(s) 5.21.

(a) The angle between two planes is defined to be the acute angle between their normal vectors

PICTURE

(b) Two planes are parallel if their normal vectors are parallel .

(c) If two planes are not parallel then they intersect at a straight line .

Example 5.22. Show that planes x + y = 2z + 4 and 4z − 2x = 2y + 5 are parallel.

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

Example 5.23. Find the line of intersection for the planes x + y + z = 1 and x + 2y + 2z = 1.

https://tinyurl.com/mth234-004

Theorem 5.24. If P1 and P2 are non-parallel planes with normal vectors n1 and n2 then their line of intersection has

direction vector:

v = n1 × n2

Example 5.25. Find the angle between planes 3x − 6y − 2z = 15 and 2x − 2z = 5 − y

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5.6 Distance from a Point to a Plane – During Class

Objective(s):
ˆ Develop a formula to determine the distance from a point to a plane.

ˆ Utilize the newly developed formula to calculate the distance from a point to a plane in space!

ˆ Use the same formula to determine distance between a line and plane and between two planes.

Now we should develop a theorem for the distance between a point and a plane

d
n θ
d
P cos θ =
|RP |
R
d |RP | cos θ = d
|n||RP | cos θ
=d
|n|
−→
|n · RP |
=d
|n|

Theorem 5.26. The distance from a Point P to a plane containing R with n normal to the plane is given by

−→
|n · RP | −→
d= = compn RP
|n|

Example 5.27. Find the distance between the point P (1, −2, 4) to the plane 3x + 2y + 6z = 5

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

Example 5.28. Consider the line r(t) = h7 + 4t, 2t, 1 − ti and the plane x − y + 2z = 5. If they intersect, find the point of

intersection. If they don’t intersect find the distance between them.

Example 5.29. Consider the planes x + y = 2z + 4 and 4z − 2x = 2y + 5. If they intersect, find the line of intersection. If

they don’t intersect find the distance between them.

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

6 Cylinders and Quadric Surfaces

6.1 Definitions Galore! – Video Before Class
Objective(s):

ˆ Define what we mean by cylinders and quadric surfaces.

ˆ Go back and think about the two dimensional analogies of quadric surfaces.

ˆ Prepare for battle.

Definition(s) 6.1.

(a) In order to sketch a graph of a surface, it is useful to determine the curves of intersection of the surface with planes

parallel to the coordinate planes. These curves are called traces .

(b) A cylinder is a surface that consists of all lines (called rulings ) that are parallel to a given line

and pass through a given plane curve .

Example 6.2. Graph the cylinder z = y 2 + 1

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

Now before moving into the three dimensional stuff it is a good idea to recall the two dimensional counterparts.

This part of the lesson will be pretty informal.

Parabolas: The basic form is y = x2 or x = y 2

Big Thing: Only have 1 squared term.

Ellipses: The basic form is x2 + y 2 = 1

Big Thing: Have two squared terms, both positive

Hyperbolas: The basic form is x2 − y 2 = 1 or y 2 − x2 = 1

Big Thing: Have two squared terms, one positive and one negative.

Definition(s) 6.3. A quadric surface is the graph of a second-degree equation in three variables x, y, and z. The most

general equation is

Ax2 + By 2 + Cz 2 + Dxy + Eyz + F xz + Gx + Hy + Iz + J = 0

but by translation and rotation it can be brought into one of the two standard forms (that we will primarily be

working with)

Ax2 + By 2 + Cz 2 + J = 0

or

Ax2 + By 2 + Iz = 0

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

Name General Equation Mini Graph (Do your best)

z

y
x

x2 y2 z2
Ellipsoid a2 + b2 + c2 =1
z

y
x

x2 y2 z
Elliptical Paraboloid a2 + b2 = c
z

y
x

x2 y2 z2
Elliptical Cone a2 + b2 = c2
z

y
x

x2 y2 z2
Hyperboloid of One Sheet a2 + b2 − c2 =1
z

y
x

z2 x2 y2
Hyperboloid of Two Sheets c2 − a2 − b2 =1
z

y
x
y2 x2
Hyperbolic Paraboloid b2 − a2 = zc , c > 0 more room please

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MTH 234 Chapter 12 - Vectors and Geometry of Space MSU

6.2 Battling Quadric Surfaces – During Class

Objective(s):
ˆ Identify and Sketch Quadric Surfaces.

ˆ Do lots of problems.

Example 6.4. For all of the questions complete the following.

(i) Classify the curve as a: Cylinder, Ellipsoid, Elliptical Paraboloid, Elliptical Cone, Hyperboloid of one sheet,
Hyperboloid of two sheets, or a Hyperbolic Paraboloid.
(ii) Draw a sketch of each curve.

(a) z = x3 − 2 Cylinder

Theorem 6.5. If a surface is missing a variable then the surface is a cylinder .

Remark 6.6 (All thumbs are fingers but not all fingers are thumbs).

Theorem 6.5 does NOT say that all cylinders are missing variables.

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Example 6.7. For all of the questions complete the following.

(i) Classify the curve as a: Cylinder, Ellipsoid, Elliptical Paraboloid, Elliptical Cone, Hyperboloid of one sheet,
Hyperboloid of two sheets, or a Hyperbolic Paraboloid.
(ii) Draw a sketch of each curve.

(a) z = x2 + 9y 2 Elliptical Paraboloid

(b) x2 + y 2 = z 2 Elliptical Cone

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(c) x2 + y 2 − z 2 = 4 Hyperboloid of One Sheet

(d) x2 − 4y 2 = z Hyperbolic Paraboloid

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(e) x2 + 2z 2 − 6x − y + 10 = 0 (probably will not have time to finish)

Complete square to y − 1 = (x − 3)2 + 2z 2 to see Elliptical Paraboloid

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