Homework 9

1. Describe and sketch in 3-D space

(a) y = x + 2
(b) x2 + y 2 + z 2 = 4
Harder:
(a) z = y 2
(b) xy = 0
2. Find the equation of the sphere
(a) With centre (2, 1, 0) and radius 3.
(b) With the points (3, 5, 0) and (1, 1, 2) on each end of a diameter.
(c) With centre (1, 3, 4) and which is tangent to the yz-plane.

3. Find the distance between the centres of the spheres x2 + y 2 + z 2 = 4 and

x2 + y 2 + z 2 = 4x + 4y + 4z − 11. What is the closest the spheres come to
each other?
4. Given P (3, 4, 1), Q(5, 2, 2), ~a =< 1, 3, 1 > and ~b =< 4, 7, 0 >. Find:

(a) P~Q
 
(b) P~Q
 

(c) 2~a + 3~b

(d) ~a − ~b
 
(e)  12 ~a
(f) Find a unit vector in the direction P to Q.
5. Suppose that a = ha1 , a2 , a3 i , b = hb1 , b2 , b3 i and c = hc1 , c2 , c3 i, show
that
(a) a · b = b · a
(b) a · (b + c) = a · b + a · c
(c) (ka) · b = k (a · b) = a · (kb)
6. Find the angle between the following vectors.
(a) a = h2, 2, −1i , b = h5, −3, 2i
(b) a = h−1, 3, 4i , b = h5, 2, 1i
(c) a = 4i − 3j + k, b = 2i − k

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 7. Determine whether the given vectors are orthogonal, parallel, or neither.
(a) a = h4, 5, −2i , b = h3, −1, 5i
(b) a = 9i − 6j + 3k, b = −6i + 4j − 2k
(c) a = −8i + 12j + 4k, b = 6i − 9j − 3k
8. Show that the expression for the scalar projection of b onto a is given by
a·b
compa b =
|a|
Then, using this result show that the vector projection of b onto a is
a·b
proja b = a
|a|2

9. Express b =< −4, 1, −2 > as a sum of two vectors, one parallel to a =<
1, 3, −3 > and the other orthogonal to a.
10. A(−1, 1, −1), B(3, 3, 2) and C(1, 4, 4) are three points in R3 , and O is the
origin.
−−→ −→ −−→
(a) Find the vectors AB, AC and BC.
(b) Is the triangle ABC a right-angled? Is it isosceles? Give reasons for
your answers.
(c) Find the sizes of the interior angles of the triangle ABC. (This should
be quick.)

11. A rectangular box has its faces parallel to the coordinate planes. Four
of the vertices of the box lie at the points (1, 1, 3), (1, 6, 3), (−2, 1, 3) and
(1, 1, −1).
(a) Find the coordinates of the other vertices of the box.
(b) Find the volume of the box.
(c) Find the coordinates of the point at the centre of the box.
(d) Which of the vertices of the box lies closest to the origin? Which one
lies furthest away from the origin? Find the distances of these points
from the origin.
(e) What does the set {(x, y, z) ∈ R3 : y = −3x} look like? (Describe it
in words.) Are any of the vertices of the box in this set? If so, which
ones?
(f) What does the set {(x, y, z) ∈ R3 ; x = 1, 5z = 4y −9} look like? Does
the box have any points in common with this set? [Hint: look at the
vertices.] If so, which points?

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12. Prove that for any vectors ~a and ~b, |~a + ~b| ≤ |~a| + |~b| , this is the triangle
inequality.
13. Prove the parallelogram law: For two vectors ~a, and ~b,

|~a + ~b|2 + |~a − ~b|2 = 2(|~a|2 + |~b|2 ).

[Hint: For any vector ~u, |~u|2 = ~u · ~u.] Why do you think this is called the
parallelogram law?

14. Let O be the origin, and A and B be respectively the points (1, 2, 3) and
(3, 6, 9), all in R3 .
(a) Find the distance between A and B.
(b) Find the point halfway between A and B.
(c) How many points are there in R3 at an equal distance from A and
B? Is O one of them?
(d) Let A0 be the projection of the point A onto the xy plane. Give the
coordinates of A0 .
−−→
(e) Find the vector AB (that is, write down its components).
−→ −−→ −−→
(f) How are the vectors OA, OB and AB related? Write down an equa-
tion or equations giving the relationship.
−→
(g) Find a unit vector in the direction of OA. How many such vectors
are there?
−→
(h) How many unit vectors perpendicular to OA are there? If there are
any, find one.
−→ −−→
(i) Find OA · OB.