Comprehensive Oxford Mathematics and Physics Online School (COMPOS)

Year 12

Mathematics Assignment 06
Coordinate Geometry
Vladlena Kazantseva, Elena Boguslavskaya, Vladimir Chernov, Alexander Lvovsky

Due 17 March, 2024

This is the sixth Mathematics assignment from COMPOS Y12. This assignment is designed to stretch
you and no student is expected to complete all questions on the first attempt. The problems are hard,
but do not let this discourage you. Give each problem a go, and skip to the next one if you are stuck.
The questions in each section are arranged in the order of increasing complexity, so you should try all
sections. Very similar problems will be discussed in tutorials and webinars, so think of the questions
you would like to ask. We hope that eventually you will be able to solve most of the problems. Good
luck!

Total 51 marks

1 Useful formulas

We begin by recapping a few facts that are very useful to solve problems in coordinate geometry. you should
be already familiar with them, but we provide links to Art of Problem Solving and Khan Academy videos
in case you need a reminder. We will go through some of these formulae again in subsequent sections.

• The distance between two points A(x1 , y1 ) and B(x2 , y2 )

p
|AB| = (x2 − x1 )2 + (y2 − y1 )2 .

How to calculate the distance between two points.

• The midpoint (x, y) of a segment with ends A(x1 , y1 ) and B(x2 , y2 )
x1 + x2 y1 + y2
x= , y= .
2 2
How to calculate the midpoint of a segment.
• The equation of a straight line
y = mx + c,
where m is the gradient, and (0, c) is the y-intercept.
How to write the equation of a line in slope-intercept form
• If a straight line makes an angle θ with the positive x-axis (measured anticlockwise from the axis) then
the gradient of that line is
m = tan θ

1
 • Equation of a line with gradient m passing through point A(x0 , y0 )
y − y0 = m(x − x0 ).
How to write the equation of a line in point-slope form
• Lines parallel to the x-axis are written as y = a, where a is a constant.
Lines parallel to the y-axis are written as x = b, where b is a constant.

• Two lines y = m1 x + c1 and y = m2 x + c2 are parallel if and only if m1 = m2 .

Two lines y = m1 x + c1 and y = m2 x + c2 are perpendicular if and only if m1 m2 = −1.
Equations of parallel and perpendicular lines.

• Equation of a circle with centre at (x0 , y0 ) and radius R

(x − x0 )2 + (y − y0 )2 = R2 .
How to write the equation of a circle in standard form.

2 Straight lines

2.1 Straight lines and vectors

It is often convenient to formulate coordinate geometry in terms of vectors. In the Physics Assignment on
vectors, you became familiar with the notion
 of  the radius-vector ~rA of a point A, which is the vector from
xA
the origin to that point. The coordinates of the radius vector are the same as the coordinates of the
yA  
xB − xA
point. The coordinates of the vector connecting two points A and B are then ~rB − ~rA = .
yB − yA

y
~r − ~r0
y

~b
~r0
y0
x
x0 0 x

   
x0 x
A straight line passing through a point with the radius-vector ~r0 = consists of all points ~r =
  y 0 y
x
such all vectors from ~r0 to ~r = have the same direction. In other words, all these vectors are multiple
 y
b
of some direction vector ~b = x . Hence we can write
by
   
x − x0 b
~r − ~r0 = λ~b ⇒ =λ x ,
y − y0 by

2
where λ is a number (a scalar). We can rewrite this as a pair of equations

x − x0 = λbx ;
y − y0 = λby . (1)

Dividing both sides of these equations by each other, we obtain the familiar equation of a straight line (in
the point-slope form):
y − y0
= m,
x − x0
where m = by /bx is the gradient (slope) of the line.

Parallel lines have direction vectors that are the same (or proportional to each other), meaning that they
have the same slope. Perpendicular lines have perpendicular direction vectors. To relate the coordinates of
these vectors, let us recall the two definitions of the scalar product of two vectors1 :
~b1 · ~b2 = |b1 ||b2 | cos θ = b1x b2x + b1y b2y ,

where θ is the angle between them. For ~b1 ⊥ ~b2 , θ = π/2 and cos θ = 0. Hence

b1x b2y 1
b1x b2x + b1y b2y = 0 ⇒ =− ⇒ m1 = − ,
b1y b2x m2

which is again a familiar result.

2.2 Parallel and perpendicular lines

Example 1. (PAT 2010) Find the equation of the line passing through the points A(2, 3) and B(1, 5) in
the xy plane.

Solution. To find the equation of the line passing through points A(2, 3) and B(1, 5) calculate the gradient
y2 − y1 5−3
m= = = −2.
x2 − x1 1−2
Now we can write the equation using the gradient and the coordinates of one of the points, for example
A(2, 3):
y − 3 = −2(x − 2).
Rearranging the terms we obtain y = −2x + 7.

Example 2. Find the equation of the line passing through the point A(1, 2) that is parallel to the line
3x + 4y = 5.

Solution. Since the line has the same slope, the equation must be 3x + 4y = a. Because A(1, 2) is on the
line, its coordinates should satisfy the equation. So a = 3xA + 4yA = 11.

Answer: 3x + 4y = 11.

1 Check the Physics Assignment on vectors to remind yourself about scalar products.

3
Problem 1 (2 marks). Points A(0, 0), B(6, 0) and C(4, 4) are vertices of a triangle. Write the equations of
the three medians2 of that triangle, check that they intersect at the same point and find the coordinate of
that point. Check that this point divides each median in a ratio of 2:1.

Problem 2 (4 marks). Points A(−4, −2), B(−3, 1) and C(−1, −5) are corners of an isosceles trapezium
ABCD. Find the coordinates of D if AB is parallel to DC.

Example 3. Find the distance from the point A(1, 2) to the line 3x + 4y = 5.

Solution. Let us look for a perpendicular to the line 3x + 4y = 5 containing the point A. The line can be
written as y = (5 − 3x)/4, so its slope is −3/4. Hence the perpendicular has the slope 4/3, so its equation
is y = 4/3x + c. This line must contain (xA , yA ) = (1, 2), therefore c = 2/3.

Let us now find out at which point B the perpendicular crosses the line. Solving the system of equations

yB = (5 − 3xB )/4;
yB = 4/3xB + 2/3,
q
2 2
we find xB = 7/25, yB = 26/25. Hence |AB| = (1 − 7/25) + (2 − 26/25) = 6/5.

Example 4 (PAT 2007). Show that the points A(−5, 4), B(−1, −2) and C(5, 2) lie at three corners of a
square. Find the coordinates of the fourth corner and the area of the square.

Solution. To show that the points A(−5, 4), B(−1, −2) and C(5, 2) lie at three corners of a square we
will first check that AB is perpendicular to BC and then we will check that |AB| = |BC|. We could
have to try all the three pairs of lines connecting points A, B, and C, but we can guess by looking at the
coordinate plane that the pair (AB, CD) is more likely to be perpendicular and try it first. The vectors
−−→ −−→
AB = (4, −6) and BC = (6, 4). The angle between them can be determined using the scalar product:
−−→ −−→
AB · BC = 4 × 6 − 6 × 4 = 0, meaning that, indeed, AB ⊥ CD.

y
D

C
x

−−→ −−→ −−→ −−→

To find the fourth vertex we note that, in a square, CD = BA = −AB. Hence (xD , yD ) = (xC , xD ) − AB =
(5, 2) − (4, −6) = (1, 8).

2 A median of a triangle is the line connecting one of its vertices to the midpoint of the opposite edge. It is known from

Euclidean geometry that the three medians of any triangle intersect at the same point and that this point divides each median
in a ratio of 2:1. Please watch the video by MIT OpenCourseWare for a proof.

4
Problem 3 (4 marks). Points A(−2, −3), B(0, 3), C(5, 2) are corners of a triangle. Write down the equation
of a line passing through A and containing the height (altitude) of this triangle dropped from A. Find the
length of this height.

Example 5. Find the area of the triangle formed by the points A(−3, −4), B(−1, 2), C(4, 1).

Solution. We could use the result of Problem 3, but there is an easier way. We know that the area of
triangle ABC is given by S = 21 |BC|hA , where hA is the height drawn from point A. We notice that
−−→ −−→
hA = |AB| sin ∠B, and hence S = 21 |AB||BC| sin ∠B. Let us now recall that AB · BC = |AB||BC| cos ∠B.
−−→ −−→
q
Using sin2 ∠B + cos2 ∠B = 1, we find S = 21 (|AB||BC|)2 − (AB · BC)2 . All that’s left to do is to compute
√ √ −−→ −−→ √
|AB| = 40, |BC| = 26 and AB · BC = 2 × 5 + 6 × (−1) = 4; hence S = 12 1024 = 16.

Problem 4 (3 marks). Find the area of the triangle formed by the line x + 3y = 9 and the two lines drawn
from the origin at 30◦ and 60◦ angles to the x axis.

3 Circles

3.1 Introductory problems

Example 6 (PAT 2010). The equation of the larger circle in the figure below is (x − 1)2 + (y − 1)2 = 1.
Find the equation of the smaller circle.

Solution. We see that the smaller circle is inscribed in the upper right square, therefore its centre lays in the
middle of that smaller square and has coordinates ( 23 , 32 ).

5
 y

3
O2
2

O1
1

x
0 1 3
2

Moreover the side size of the upper right square is 1, thus the radius of the smaller square is 12 . Now we are
ready to write the equation of the smaller circle
 2  2
3 3 1
x− + y− = .
2 2 4

Example 7 (PAT 2013). Find the equation of the straight line that passes through the centres of the two
circles:
x2 + 4x + y 2 − 2y = −1
and
x2 − 4x + y 2 − 6y = 3.

Solution: To find the centres of the circles we need to complete the square and write the equations for the
circles in the standard form:

x2 + 4x + y 2 − 2y = −1 ⇒ x2 + 4x + 4 + y 2 − 2y + 1 − 5 = −1 ⇒ (x + 2)2 + (y − 1)2 = 4,

therefore the first circle has the centre at (−2, 1), and for the second, similarly,

(x − 2)2 − 4 + (y − 3)2 − 9 = 3,

meaning the second circle has the centre at (2, 3). All we need to do now is to write a line that passes
through the points (−2, 1) and (2, 3), which is a standard task:
3−1
y−1= (x − (−2)),
2 − (−2)

which can be rearranged as

x
y= + 2.
2

Problem 5 (1 mark). Find the equation of the straight line which is parallel to the x axis and crosses the
circle x2 + y 2 = 9 in points A and B in such a way that |AB| = 2. Consider all possible solutions.

6
Problem 6 (PAT 2018, 3 marks). Determine the area inside the circle defined by:

x2 + y 2 − 8x + 4y + 4 = 0

but outside the triangle bounded by the three lines below:

y = x−7
1
y = (2x − 29)
5
x = 7

3.2 Tangents to a circle

For a point P on a circle, the tangent line to a circle at P is a line that intersects the circle at P and has
no other common points with the circle. The tangent line is always perpendicular to the radius drawn to P .
Here we will show how to find the tangent lines to a given circle which pass through a given point.

Example 8 (PAT 2009). Find the equations of the two lines which pass through the point (0, 4) and form
tangents to a circle of radius 2, centred on the origin.

y
A(0, 4)

A1 A2

x
O

Solution. Let us denote the given point with the coordinates (0, 4) as A. We also label the points of tangency,
A1 and A2 . First let us notice that the triangles OA1 A and OA2 A are right-angled triangles, and therefore
sin(∠A1 AO) = sin(∠OAA2 ) = |OA1 |/|OA| = 21 because the distance from A to the origin, |OA| = 4 and
|OA1 | = 2 is the circle radius. This means that ∠A1 AO
= ∠OAA2 = π6 . This gives us the angles at which
the tangent lines are crossing the x axis, π3 and π − π3 if measured anticlockwise. Therefore the slopes of
√ √
the tangent lines are tan( π3 ) = 3 and tan( 2π
3 ) = − 3. From this, and since the tangent lines pass through
the point (0, 4), we write equations of the tangent lines using the point-slope formula:
√
y − 4 = ± 3x.

7
Problem 7 (PAT 2014, 3 marks). Find the equations of the tangents drawn from the point (−4, 3) to the
circle x2 + y 2 = 5.

Problem 8 (PAT 2015, 2 marks). Find the slopes and y-intercepts of the straight lines that are tangent
and normal to the circle (x + 3)2 + (y − 3)2 = 17 at the point (1, 2).

Problem 9∗ (4 marks). Find the equation of the circle passing through the origin, the point A(1, 0) and
tangent to the circle x2 + y 2 = 9.

Hint: Check and use the general fact that the line connecting the centres of two circles that are tangent to
each other passes through the point of tangency.

Example 9. (PAT 2017) The equation of circle C1 is

4x2 + 24x + 4y 2 − 16y + 43 = 0,

while the equation of circle C2 is

4x2 − 40x + 4y 2 − 8y + 79 = 0.
Sketch a diagram of these circles, along with the all lines which are tangent to both circles. For each line,
calculate the length of the line segment joining the tangent points.

Solution: This problem looks complicated, but simplifies if one notices a few details. The hint is hidden in
the formulation of the problem - you are asked to sketch a diagram of the circles, so there may be something
special about it. To sketch the diagrams of the circles one should write down the equations of the circles in
the standard form. We will leave you to complete the square and perform the needed calculations yourself,
and will write down only the resulting equations. The equations of circles C1 and C2 are, respectively,
 2  2
3 5
(x + 3)2 = (y − 2)2 = and (x − 5)2 + (y − 1)2 = ,
2 2

In such a way the centre of circle C1 is O1 (−3, 2), and the centre of circle C2 is O2 (5, 1), while the radius of
3 5
circle C1 is r1 = , and the radius of circle C2 is r2 = .
2 2

Start sketching the tangent lines, and yes, suddenly we see that the top tangent line is parallel to the x axis.
Now we can easily calculate the length of the line segment joining the tangent points A and B. It is equal
to the sum of the absolute values of x coordinates of O1 and O2 which is 5 + 3 = 8. Therefore the length of
the segment joining the tangent points A and B is equal to 8.

8
 y

A B

O1

O2
1
C x
D

From symmetry considerations, the length of the segment joining the tangent points C and D ( see below)
will be the same as the length of the segment joining the tangent points A and B, i.e. |CD| = |AB| = 8.

But we have two other tangent lines to draw (see below).

G F

O1

O2
E
1
x
H

Again it will be enough to calculate only one distance between the tangent points E and F , as the other
distance between G and H will be the same by symmetry. Let us draw a line through O2 parallel to EF ,
and let us denote the intersection of this line with the line O1 E by I ( see the picture below). We see that
the quadrilateral IEF O2 is a rectangle, because E and F are tangent points and IO2 is parallel to EF .
Therefore |EF | = |IO2 |, and if we find |IO2 | we find the length between the tangent points E and F .

Note that the red triangle in the picture is right angled, and we can find its sides. Indeed |EI| = |F O2 |, and
3 5
subsequently |O1 I| = |O1 E| + |EI| = |O1 E| + |F O2 | = + = 4,. The coordinates of centres of the circles
2 2
are known, and the distance between the centres of the circles can be easily calculated.
p √
|O1 O2 | = (1 − 2)2 + (5 − (−3))2 = 65.

9
 p √ √
Thus, by Pythagoras theorem |IO2 | = |O1 O2 |2 − |O1 I|2 = 65 − 16 = 49 = 7.

O1

O2
E
1
x

Problem 10∗∗ (MIPT admission test 1989, 5 marks). The base AC of an isosceles triangle ABC is a chord
of a circle of radius 1 (both A and C are on the circumference), whose center is located inside that triangle.
Two tangents to the circle pass through point B, where the points of tangency are denoted D and E. Find
the area of the triangle DBE if AB = BC = 2, ∠ABC = 2 arcsin √15 .

3.3 Inscribed and circumscribed circles

The circle inscribed into a triangle is the circle which is tangent to all three sides of a triangle. The circle
circumscribed around a triangle passes through all three vertices of the triangle.

For each triangle, there exists exactly one inscribed and exactly one circumscribed circle. The centre of the
inscribed circle is at the intersection of angle bisectors of the triangle. The centre of a circumscribed circle is
at the point of intersection of the perpendicular bisectors of each side. Please make a drawing and convince
yourself of these facts. This Krista King Math page may be helpful.

Example 10. For an isosceles triangle with sides 4, 3, 3 find the:

a) radius of the inscribed circle;

b) radius of the circumscribed circle.

Solution. We start by choosing a coordinate system and drawing a diagram.

10
 y

√
5
y= x
2
√
B(2, 5)
• √
5
y= x
5
• O1
A(0, 0) θ C(4, 0)
• • • x
M (2, 0)

x=2

As we know, the centre of the inscribed circle is at the intersection of angle bisectors. Let us find the
equations of two of the bisectors. One of them is easy: the bisector BO1 of ∠B is vertical and has equation
x = 2.

Let us now find the bisector AO1 of ∠A. We find from the Pythagoras’ theorem that the √ height of the
√ √ 5
triangle is 32 − 22 = 5, which gives us the y coordinate of point B. Hence tan θ = . Using the
√ √2
sin θ 5/3 5
trigonometric formula for the tangent of the half-angle: tan(θ/2) = = = . This is the
√ 1 + cos θ 1 + 2/3 5
5
slope of AO1 , so its equation is y = x.
5
√
2 5
Solving simultaneously with x = 2 we find O1 (2, ). The radius of the inscribed circle is equal to the
√ 5
2 5
length of O1 M , i.e. rinsc = .
5

To find the radius of the circumscribed circle we will use the same coordinate system. The centre of the
circle is O2 :

11
 y

√
B(2, 5)
•

√
• N (1, 5
2 )

A(0, 0) • O2 C(4, 0)
• • • x
M (2, 0)

√ √
2 5 9 5
y=− x+
5 10

x=2

We use the same approach, but now we need the equations of two perpendicular bisectors. One of them —
the perpendicular bisector of AC — is x = 2
√
2 2 5
The perpendicular bisect to AB has the gradient − √ = − because it is perpendicular to AB.
5 5
√ !
5
N 1, is the midpoint of AB. Using the point-slope formula we find the equation of line N O2 :
2

√ √ √ √
5 2 5 2 5 9 5
y− =− (x − 1) ⇒ y = − x+ .
2 5 5 10

√ !
5
To find the point O2 , substitute x = 2: O2 2,
10

√ √
√ 5 9 5
The radius of the circumscribed circle is equal to the length of BO2 : Rcirc = 5− = .
10 10
√ √
2 5 9 5
Answer: ; .
5 10

This example shows a neat property of the coordinate method: it can be used to solve problems that are
not phrased in the coordinate language. Indeed, almost every geometry problem can be solved using this
method (albeit not always elegantly). A few more examples will follow.

12
Problem 11 (3 √ marks). Find the equation of the circle inscribed in the triangle with vertices A(1, 0),
B(5, 0) and C(3, 5).

Hint: You may notice a special property of the triangle that simplifies the calculation.

Problem 12 (2 marks). Write down the equation of the circle that passes through the vertices of the
triangle created by line 2x + 3y = 6, x-axis and y-axis.

4 Coordinate method in 3D-geometry.

In 3D, we have three coordinate axes, which are mutually orthogonal. Every point is defined by its coordinates
(x, y, z) by orthogonal projections on the corresponding axis (just as we have it in a two-dimensional case).
We can also define a three-dimensional
 vector. For two points A(x1 , y1 , z1 ) and B(x2 , y2 , z2 ) the vector from
x2 − x1
−−→
A to B is AB =  y2 − y1 .
z2 − z1

Let us recall the main formulas we will need for the coordinate method in 3D-geometry.

−−→
• The distance between two points A(x1 , y1 , z1 ) and B(x2 , y2 , z2 ) (the magnitude of the vector AB) is
p
|AB| = (x2 − x1 )2 + (y2 − y1 )2 + (z2 − z1 )2 .
x − x0 y − y0
• The formula for a line passing through a point M (x0 , y0 , z0 ) along a vector (a, b, c) is = =
a b
z − z0
. This formula is explained in the How To Find The Vector Equation of a Line video by The
c
Organic Chemistry Tutor.
• The formula of a plane in 3d coordinates is

Ax + By + Cz + D = 0,

where A, B, C and D are constants and A, B, C should not all be equal to 0 at the same time. The
vector ~n = (A, B, C)3 is normal (perpendicular) to that plane. This formula is explained in the How
To Find The Equation of a Plane Given Three Points video by The Organic Chemistry Tutor.

• The shortest distance from a point P (x0 , y0 , z0 ) to a plane Ax + By + Cz + D = 0 is

|Ax0 + By0 + Cz0 + D|

ρ= √ .
A2 + B 2 + C 2
To recall the proof of this formula and dealing with vectors in a three-dimensional coordinate space
you can watch The Organic Chemistry Tutor video.
• The two familiar definitions of the scalar product of two vectors are directly extended from 2D to 3D:

~a · ~b = |~a| · |~b| · cos θ = ax bx + ay by + az bz ,

 
A
3 Vector ~ n = B 
n = (A, B, C) is equivalent to vector ~
C

13
 where θ is an angle between vectors ~a and ~b. Hence the angle between two vectors can be found via

~a · ~b
cos θ = .
|~a||~b|

• The angle φ between the two planes

α : a1 x + b1 y + c1 z + d1 = 0
β : a2 x + b2 y + c2 z + d2 = 0
is given by
a1 a2 + b1 b2 + c1 c2
cos φ = p 2 p .
a1 + b21 + c21 · a22 + b22 + c22
Please derive this result on your own, observing that φ is equal to the angle between the normal vectors
to the two planes in question.

Example 11. In a regular tetrahedron with edge length 1, find

a) the height,
b) the radius R of the circumscribed sphere.

Solution. Let 4ABC be the base of the tetrahedron, and M the midpoint of BC. Because the median √ AM
3
is also the height of 4ABC (an equilateral triangle with side length 1), we find AM = 1×cos 30◦ = . The
2
1 1
center of mass O of 4ABC divides AM in proportion AO : OM = 2 : 1, hence AO = √ and OM = √ .
3 2 3

The base center O is the orthogonal projection of the regular tetrahedron’s apex D onto the base plane.
√
r
2
Hence AOD is a right triangle. Its cathetus DO = AD2 − AO2 = is the height of the tetrahedron.
3

The centre Q of the circumscribed sphere is located on line

r DO, and we must have QA = QD = R. In
2 1
the right triangle AOQ, one cathetus OQ = DO − QD = − R, the other cathetus AO = √ and the
3 3
hypothenuse AQ = R. Writing the Pythagorean theorem,
r !2 r √
1 2 2 2 2 2 3
+ −R = R ⇒ 1 − 2R +R =R ⇒ R= √ .
3 3 3 2 2

D
•

Q•
C• •A
•
• O
M
•
B

14
Problem 13 (4 marks). For a regular tetrahedron with edge length 1, find

a) the angles the lateral edges make with the base;

b) the angles the lateral faces make with the base;
c) the radius of the inscribed sphere.

Problem 14 (4 marks). A football is placed in the corner of a rectangular room, touching two walls and
the floor. A smaller ball (e.g. a tennis ball) is placed in the same corner, touching both walls, the floor and
the football. Find the ratio of the radii of the two balls.

Hint: introduce a 3D coordinate system with the origin in the corner of the room.

Example 12. P H is the height of a regular square pyramid P ABCD, O is the intersection point of medians
of triangle BCP . Find the angle between the lines P H and AO, given that AB = P H.

•P

•O
B• •
y
C
•
H
A• •D
x

15
Solution. Let us introduce a coordinate system as shown in the diagram and determine the coordinates of
points A, O, P , and H. Suppose the side of the base equals 1, then we will obtain the coordinates A(1, 0, 0),
H(1/2, 1/2, 0), P (1/2, 1/2, 1). To find the coordinate of O, we write the median of 4BCP drawn from point
1 ~ 
~ . Because the median intersection point divides that vector in the ratio of
B is as a vector BP + BC
2
~ = 1 BP
 
2:1, we can write BO ~ + BC ~ and hence the coordinates of O are (1/6, 1/2, 1/3).
3

  1
~ = 5 1 1 ~ = (0, 0, 1). And so cos φ = 3r 2
Then we get the vectors AO − , , , HP = √ ⇒ φ=
6 2 3 √ 38 38
1×
36
2
arccos √ .
38

Problem 15 (2 marks). Find the angle between the adjacent faces of a regular octahedron.

Problem 16 (2 marks). In a regular square pyramid SABCD with the apex S, the height is equal to the
diagonal of the base. Point F lies at the midpoint of edge SA. Find the angle between the lines SD and
BF .

√
Problem 17 (3 marks). In a right regular prism ABCDA1 B1 C1 D1 , the edges of the base are equal to 2.
The edges of the prism sides are of length equal to 2. The point M is the midpoint of the edge AA1 . Find
the distance from M to plane DA1 C1 .

Optional problems on 3D geometry

Example√13. The base of the right prism ABCDA1 B1 C1 D1 is the rectangle ABCD, in which AB =
12, AD = 31. The height of the prism is 5.

a) Prove that the plane, which is passing through the point D perpendicular to the line BD1 , divides the
line segment BD1 in the ratio 1 : 7.

b) Find the cosine of the angle between that plane and the base of the prism.

16
 z √
D1 ( 31, 0, 5)
C1

A1 B1
x

D C

A B(0, 12, 0) y

Solution.

a) Let us set coordinates with the origin at a point A and√axes directed along the edges AD, AB, AA1 .
Then the vertex coordinates we obtain are: B(0, 12, 0), D1 ( 31, 0, 5). So the line BD1 has the equation
x y − 12 z √
√ = = and a plane which is perpendicular to it has the equation 31x − 12y + 5z + D = 0. In
31 −12 5 √
order for the plane to pass through the point D(31, 0, 0) we need to take the 31x − 12y + 5z − 31 = 0.

7√ 3 35
The point dividing BD1 in a ratio of 1 : 7 has the coordinates of the ( 31, , ). Substituting it into the
8 2 8
7 175 31 175
equation of the plane, we get a fraction: · 31 − 18 + − 31 = −18 − + = 0, that means that this
8 8 8 8
point lies in the plane, as required.

b) The equation of the plane of the base of the prism is z = 0. Using the formula, we find the cosine of the
angle:

√
31 · 0 − 12 · 0 + 5 · 1 5 1
√ √ =√ = √ .
31 + 144 + 25 0 + 0 + 1 200 2 2

Problem 18 (optional, 4 marks). A regular triangular pyramid SABC with a vertex S is given. All edges
of it are equal to 2. A point M is the midpoint of the edge AB, a point O is the center of the base of the
pyramid, a point F splits the segment SO in a ratio of 3 : 1, counting from the top of the pyramid.

a) Prove that a line M F is perpendicular to a line SC.

b) Find the angle between a plane M BF and a plane ABC.

Problem 19 (optional, 5 marks). In a regular triangular pyramid SABC with vertex S, two points M and
K are chosen on the sides AB and AC respectively such that the triangle AM K is similar to the triangle
ABC with the ratio 32 . Point E is chosen on the line M K so that M E : EK = 7 : 9 Find the distance from
√
point E to plane BSC if the side of the base of the pyramid is 6 and the height of the pyramid is 6.

17