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1. This document discusses vector geometry concepts in Rn including: showing that points are collinear based on linearly dependent vectors; showing two vectors are perpendicular in R3; and proving vectors are equal if they have equal dot products with all vectors. 2. It examines finding the shortest distance between two lines in R3 by solving simultaneous equations involving dot products of the line vectors. 3. It asks to determine the plane equation that a varying point (given as a function of s and t) lies on.

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Philip Patterson
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37 views

Sheet 1

1. This document discusses vector geometry concepts in Rn including: showing that points are collinear based on linearly dependent vectors; showing two vectors are perpendicular in R3; and proving vectors are equal if they have equal dot products with all vectors. 2. It examines finding the shortest distance between two lines in R3 by solving simultaneous equations involving dot products of the line vectors. 3. It asks to determine the plane equation that a varying point (given as a function of s and t) lies on.

Uploaded by

Philip Patterson
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GEOMETRY – SHEET 1 – Vector Geometry in Rn

1. (i) Show that the distinct points a, b, c are collinear (i.e. lie on a line) in Rn if and only if the vectors b − a and
c − a are linearly dependent.

(ii) Show that the vectors u = (1, 2, −3) and v = (6, 3, 4) are perpendicular in R3 . Verify directly Pythagoras’ Theorem
for the right-angled triangles with vertices 0, u, v and vertices 0, u, u + v.

(iii) Let v, w be vectors in Rn . Show that if v · x = w · x for all x in Rn then v = w.

2. Consider the two lines in R3 given parametrically by

r(λ) = (1, 3, 0) + λ(2, 3, 2), s(µ) = (2, 1, 0) + µ(0, 2, 1).


p
Show that the shortest distance between these lines is 3/7 by solving the simultaneous equations

(r(λ) − s(µ)) · (2, 3, 2) = 0, (r(λ) − s(µ)) · (0, 2, 1) = 0.

What geometry do these equations encode?

Optional – requires knowledge of partial derivatives. The shortest distance could also be found by solving the equations
∂ ∂
|r(λ) − s(µ)|2 = 0, |r(λ) − s(µ)|2 = 0.
 
∂λ ∂µ

Determine these equations and explain why they are (essentially) the same as the previous two.

3. Let (x, y, z) = (s + t + 2, 3s − 2t + 1, 4s − 3t). Show that, as s, t vary, the point (x, y, z) ranges over a plane with
equation ax + by + cz = d which you should determine.

4. Determine, in the form r · n = c, the equations of each of the following planes in R3 ;


(i) the plane containing the points (1, 0, 0), (1, 1, 0), (0, 1, 1);
(ii) the plane containing the point (2, 1, 0) and the line x = y = z;
(iii) the two planes containing the points (1, 0, 1), (0, 1, 1) and which are tangential to the unit sphere, centre 0.

5. Given a vector a ∈ R2 and a constant 0 < λ < 1, define b = a/ 1 − λ2 and prove that

|r − a|2 − λ2 |r|2
= |r − b|2 − λ2 |b|2 .
1 − λ2
Deduce Apollonius’ Theorem which states that if O and A are fixed points in the plane, then the locus of all points
X, such that |AX| = λ |OX|, is a circle. Find its centre and radius.

6. (Optional) A tetrahedron ABCD has vertices with respective position vectors a, b, c, d from an origin O inside the
tetrahedron. The lines AO, BO, CO, DO meet the opposite faces in E, F, G, H.

(i) Show that a point lies in the plane BCD if and only if it has position vector λb + µc + νd where λ + µ + ν = 1.

(ii) There are α, β, γ, δ, not all zero, such that αa + βb + γc + δd = 0. Show that E has position vector
−αa
.
β+γ+δ

(iii) Deduce that


|AO| |BO| |CO| |DO|
+ + + = 3.
|AE| |BF | |CG| |DH|

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